Dara Calleary
Mayo · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“Agriculture is the backbone. We have all been in the Mansion House today, or everyone has said they were anyway. Energy security is key and crucial. Everybody wants energy security but nobody wants wind energy. We have to strike a balance and get a real discussion, but food security is most important.”
“While we have gaps there, we are addressing them. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has announced the minor injury units, which will take the pressure off major hospitals and ensure services are available.”
“Recent figures from the CSO show that there is a 5.8% increase in the number of people living in rural areas between 2016 and 2022. In areas classified as highly rural and remote, the increase was 6.4%.”
“Enterprise Ireland is investing in Irish-owned, Irish-founded companies. Similarly, 59% of IDA investments were located outside the Dublin region. We will continue to work, looking at the progress we can make through the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and, as Senator O'Loughlin said, through supporting our local enterprise offices.”
“That is something we do daily and they are used where is necessary. The plan will be supported by ambitious, clear, practical and measurable actions. I have spoken to some of the funding programmes available within my Department.”
“Táim tar éis cuairt a thabhairt ar gach ceantar Gaeltachta chun plé fairsing a dhéanamh leis na pobail sin chun a fháil amach uathu féin cén cineál tacaíochta ar féidir a chur ar fáil dóibh chun cabhrú leo. Táim chun leanúint ar aghaidh leis an obair sin sa bhuiséad le teacht agus na buiséid eile.”
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“I can absolutely assure the Deputy that oral appeals will continue. The regulations are now there for people to request them. However, things have changed and the functionality available on MyWelfare.ie gives much more information earlier in the process, which leads to a situation where the oral hearing is not as important as it may once have been. I assure the Deputy oral appeals will continue to happen and I will continue to monitor the figures. My main focus at the moment is working with the appeals office to get through any backlogs. We have appointed 20 new appeals officers this year and are getting through the backlog.”
“The new appeals functionality on MyWelfare means appellants can now easily transmit documentation and evidence to the relevant scheme area and the appeals office electronically. This can mean that evidence that previously would not have been available to an appeals officer until an oral hearing can be provided earlier in the process and is resulting in appeals officers being able to decide a higher number of cases on a summary basis.”
“Appeals officers are statutorily independent in the exercise of their powers, including with respect to whether to hold an oral hearing. However, in order to increase transparency around that, the social welfare appeals regulations 2024 came into effect on 28 April 2025. They established for the first time the legal right of an appellant to request an oral hearing. Appeals officers must consider these requests. Where it is decided not to hold an oral hearing, the appeals officer must provide reasons in writing as to why this is the case. The ability to request a hearing and to be provided with reasons as to why a hearing is or is not being held did not exist prior to these regulations.”
“I thank the Deputy. Oral hearings on social welfare appeals can be held virtually, in person or by phone. In 2024, there were 432 oral hearings, comprising 120 in person, 53 by phone and 259 virtually. The figure has fallen considerably in recent years but that has to be set against the backdrop of a number of things. When a case is assigned to an appeals officer, the officer examines the documentary evidence presented and considers if the appeal can be properly and fairly decided by way of a summary decision. Where there is a conflict in the evidence provided that would materially affect the question under consideration, the appeals officer will consider if the conflict could be resolved at an oral hearing and will make the arrangements for that hearing to take place.”
“I will revert to the Deputy on the dashboard. There is huge work under way to make it as inclusive and measurable as possible. The unit is open to suggestions on what should be part of the dashboard. It is crucial it be used as a cross-governmental measure. We are looking at the whole area of housing costs. Depending on tenure and on whether a person owns or is renting, it can have a different impact on the figures. We are going through all of that with a view to making a decision on it as we prepare the social inclusion roadmap. That should be published in the first quarter of 2026.”
“We are preparing a new roadmap for social inclusion for 2026 to 2030 and considering the inclusion of CSO SILC data on the at-risk-of-poverty rate before and after housing as an indicator for the new roadmap. I am happy to engage with the Deputy and the social protection committee as we finalise that documentation for publication in early 2026.”
“I absolutely agree with the Deputy that we need accurate figures. We have long used the consistent poverty measure as the national poverty benchmark. The recently agreed child poverty target of 3% or less is based on the consistent poverty measure, which is the critical measure of child poverty because it captures income-related and deprivation-related aspects. In addition, we use CSO data on the financial burden of housing costs, while poverty rates by tenure status are reported annually in our social impact monitor. That also tracks progress against national poverty reduction targets. Any approach to measuring poverty rates after housing costs should take into account the supports available through HAP and rent supplement.”
“It has been endorsed by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, and is used for the national poverty target in the cross-Government social inclusion strategy, the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025. As the Deputy knows, we recently announced a new child poverty target utilising the consistent poverty measure. I will be making the delivery of the new child poverty target of 3% or less, down from its current level of 8.5%, a key objective of the new roadmap for social inclusion action plan to be published in 2026. I am also currently prioritising measures to address child poverty in consideration of budget 2026. I hope that clarifies the position for the Deputy.”
“The Department also utilises the data from the minimum essential standard of living reports of the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice. We fully fund the partnership to produce those reports. While there is no one measure that adequately captures all facets of poverty, the use of the headline consistent poverty measure is useful in that it combines both those at risk of income-based poverty and those facing deprivation through a lack of basic necessities. This dual approach gives us a valuable insight into the level of social inclusion in Ireland. That is why the consistent poverty measure has long served as the national poverty benchmark.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as a ceist. Reducing child poverty is a key priority for the Government. I agree with the Deputy that it is important to use data that is complete, accurate and can be tracked over time. The data on poverty used by my Department is the official data the Central Statistics Office, CSO, publishes in its annual survey on income and living conditions, SILC. The headline measure produced by this survey is consistent poverty, which combines income poverty and material deprivation. The CSO also presents at risk of poverty data on a before and after housing costs basis and by tenure status. These indicators, together with indicators on material deprivation, are relied on by my Department and reported annually in our social impact monitor, which tracks progress against the national poverty reduction targets.”
“Yes, there will be a deduction in their take-home wages but that is a deduction that is being made in the best interests of their future, a future post retirement, and their living standards post retirement. By taking part in My Future Fund they are making an investment in that future, which will pay back to them in the years to come.”
“This is in line with the typical trajectory of how retirement savings providers develop, whereby they generally start off with a limited number of investment options and gradually expand to alternative offerings once their asset base is sufficiently developed. Much of this, a Cheann Comhairle, is technical. Much of it might seem inaccessible but it is a hugely important policy. Over the coming weeks and months we will be ramming home the communications on this. I have picked up from many Deputies today the concerns that many employers are saying they have not heard. We will work with NAERSA, Revenue and colleagues in payroll across the system to ensure that communication gets in, and that it will get to workers.”
“These include that any investment management service providers must make a provision in their risk management system to take account of the risks that arise through environmental, social and governance factors; that they must conduct, at intervals of not more than three years, an assessment of the risks that arise from environmental, social and governance factors, and report to NAERSA on that assessment; and prepare, and from time to time revise, a statement describing how considerations arising from ESG factors would affect the investment decisions. In the future, consideration may be given by the board of NAERSA to expand investment options as part of the review of the system, which is required by section 43 of the legislation.”
“While all investments have to be made in accordance with the prudent person role and in the best long-term interests of each of the participants in the scheme, each investment strategy will have specific environmental, social and governance, ESG, requirements. That is laid out in sections 74 and 75 of the Act. Section 74 requires the investment management providers to take into account the long-term impact of investment decisions on environmental, social and governance factors. Section 75 of the legislation is also of particular note, as it provides for a number of provisions that must be included in the contracts we are currently concluding with the investment management providers.”
“NAERSA is statutorily independent of the Oireachtas, and I have appointed a very strong and experienced board to ensure the initial stages of auto-enrolment are led by a board and executive team who have experience, strength and who, in particular, have experience of the introduction of complex projects. I think the board reflects that. The level of interest in being on the board and in applying for the staff positions in NAERSA gives Deputies an indication of the overall interest in auto-enrolment and, in particular, the overall interest in the success of auto-enrolment. Many Deputies raised issues around the values of the investment portfolio.”
“Moreover, employers will benefit from participating in My Future Fund by enhancing their employees' sense of well-being with regard to them having some security with respect to their post-employment retirement. ESRI research indicates that over the longer term, auto-enrolment will be good for the economy and retired people will have more disposable income than they would have had otherwise. In turn, this will sustain consumer demand and business revenue as that population ageing happens. A number of Deputies have asked us about monitoring. This will be subject to monitoring by the Pensions Commission and the Financial Services Ombudsman, so there will be external monitoring.”
“Auto-enrolment is not meant to displace those contributions and services. I will also respond with regard to her specific query. Deputy Lawless mentioned the self-employed, and we have introduced pension options with extra contributions for the self-employed in recent years. We will continue to increase the supports available to self-employed people through the social protection system over the course of this Government and beyond. I would also point out that for any employer who cannot offer an occupational pension at the moment, auto-enrolment and My Future Fund will create a more level playing field for them with regard to trying to attract good workers in what is a very tight jobs market.”
“For the employer, this approach gives very clear certainty as to the rates that will be applicable so as to facilitate the gradual absorption of these labour costs, which will ease the burden on those employers in implementing this crucial return. I understand about the costs. There is a never a good time to add a cost but we have to grasp this nettle once and for all. We are the last country in the OECD to introduce an automatic enrolment scheme. Right now, we have four workers for every person over the age of 66 in this country. By the time we get to 2050, which is not that long away, we will have two workers for every person over the age of 66. I understand, and I want to re-emphasise to Deputy Nolan that the non-contributory State pension will still be the bedrock of our pension system.”
“There are high-risk options available to younger savers, with medium risk and lower risk as you advance in age and come closer to retirement. The option is there for people to go for higher-risk investments and that is one of the reasons we went to an open procurement system for investment advisers. Some people say this could have been done by the NTMA but giving options and lower fees to savers was a key issue. I wish to remind Deputies that on the design of My Future Fund, which has been referred to, I will re-emphasise that the phasing-in of contribution rates will happen over the course of a decade, starting at a very low 1.5% of gross pay for the first three years and gradually rising to 6%.”
“There will be some burden in the initial stages of inputting the information and giving it to NAERSA but those employers who have payroll providers who do that for them will be able to work with them. The work of NAERSA will then ensure that the ongoing administrative burden will be absolutely minimised. Second, to come to a point raised by an Teachta Ó Muirí with regard to fees, one of the things we have found during the procurement process for the investment managers is that by going to the market with 800,000 potential pension holders, as opposed to each of those 800,000 potentially going individually, we have considerably reduced the administration fees that otherwise would have been charged. I also picked up the Deputy's points with regard to the excitement of the scheme or otherwise.”
“I thank the Ceann Comhairle, the Business Committee and the Chief Whip, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for giving us the opportunity to discuss auto-enrolment today. There are specific worries I will engage with Deputies on over the coming days, to answer queries. I welcome the support for the overall concept of a pensions auto-enrolment system. The aim of introducing auto-enrolment is to once and for all solve the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland, and to provide for better retirement incomes for workers in the long term. One of the key points raised today is the potential burden on employers that is being associated with auto-enrolment. First, the establishment of NAERSA ensures that the administrative burden will be minimised, particularly as the scheme rolls on.”
“I look forward to the statements and to working with Deputies over the coming weeks and months as we roll this scheme out.”
“Taxation arrangements are being provided for separately in the forthcoming finance Bill and will broadly align with the tax treatment of PRSAs, including the application of the tax treatment of trivial pensions. Further drawdown options may be developed over the coming years alongside the annuity and ARF options that are already available from the pensions market but this will be for NAERSA, which is statutorily independent, to consider and make recommendations on in the future. I have gone through the policy rationale for introducing My Future Fund to try to ensure that everybody has a clear understanding of its key features before contributing to these statements. I truly believe that My Future Fund will be a transformative scheme for this country and will bear great fruit, particularly for our younger generations.”
“This incremental implementation of the contribution rates will allow employees and employers to adjust over time. This money will then be invested as I already mentioned. While NAERSA will ensure all investments will be in line with the prudent person principle and in the best long-term interests of the participants, each of the contracted-for-investment services will be required to have environmental, social and governance, ESG, principles applied to them in accordance with section 74 of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act 2024. At the end of this investment period, each participant will be able to access their savings pot once they reach the State pension age of 66. In the first few years of the scheme, drawdown products will be limited to a simple lump sum payment because savings pots will be relatively small.”
“Anybody who is outside of these age and income thresholds may voluntarily opt in to the scheme and where they do, their employer and the State will be compelled by the legislation to contribute as if they had been automatically enrolled. Contributions will be made equally by employees and employers with the State providing a top-up of €1 for every €3 saved by an employee. So, in short, every €3 saved by an employee will automatically become €7. Contributions will start at 1.5% of gross pay increasing to 3% after three years of operation to 4.5% after a further three years of operation and finally to 6% in year ten and from then on. This will, in effect, add up to 14% of an employee’s gross earnings and is the very least that international evidence suggests is an adequate rate of saving.”
“In terms of the eligibility criteria, those earning in excess of €20,000 per annum across any number of employments who are aged over 23 and under 60 and not already contributing to an occupational or private pension scheme through payroll will be automatically enrolled. It is expected that about 750,000 workers will be enrolled in this way. Participants will be able to opt out after six months of mandatory participation at which time they will get their own contributions back but the employer and State contributions will remain invested in their account. They will also be able to suspend their participation for up to two years. In all cases, where a person opts out or suspends, they will be automatically re-enrolled after two years after which opt-out and suspension options will be available again.”
“In addition, the scheme has a "pot-follows-member" approach, which means that where an employee moves from employment to employment over their working lives, they can maintain the same My Future Fund account at all times. Furthermore, the system is automated through payroll software to minimise the administrative burden for employers, especially those who do not have expertise in operating pension schemes. These design features have come about from studying what other countries have done both well and badly with a view to doing everything better here. This is perhaps the main advantage of being the last country in the OECD to adopt such a system.”
“It will provide a customer support service and ensure compliance with the scheme by following up where contributions are not collected and remitted up to and including the imposition of sanctions, penalties and even prosecutions. I recently moved the launch date from the end of this month to 1 January 2026 to allow payroll providers and small employers more time to prepare and to align the system with the normal tax year. The design of the scheme is straightforward and easy to understand. For example, from an investment perspective, there is a default strategy whereby participants’ savings are moved from a higher-risk fund to a medium-risk fund to a lower-risk fund as they get closer to the retirement age of 66. The scheme facilitates choice between these three risk levels but does not require a choice to be made by the participant.”
“The system was branded "My Future Fund" as this reflects the purpose of the scheme, namely, to save and invest for the future, while highlighting that these savings will remain the personal property of the participants. This is not a State fund. NAERSA will do the vast bulk of the administration of this scheme. There will be little or nothing for employers to do and there will be no administrative costs for them. The authority, which has statutory independence, will determine who will be enrolled, electronically issue notifications to payroll systems, collect the contributions and pool them for onward investment with investment managers. It will provide online portals for employees, employers and agents to access accounts and services.”
“Members of this House will no doubt have seen the eye-catching advertising campaign over the summer that featured scoops of ice-cream with a cherry on top. This was a continuation of the communications work that has been taking place over the past couple of years, which is shifting from direct employer and other stakeholder outreach through webinars and in-person conferences to a paid public awareness campaign. This will continue and intensify over the coming months. A key central point in the communications strategy is the auto-enrolment information hub that is available at [ www.gov.ie/autoenrolment ]. This resource has lots of information, including explanatory videos, to explain the scheme to all types of stakeholders.”
“These companies are busy readying their funds and developing and testing integration with TCS. My departmental officials are currently working closely with in excess of 60 payroll product developers across a range of payroll providers, through the Payroll Software Developers Association, to assist them with the changes they need to make to their software to facilitate the calculation and collection of My Future Fund contributions. Testing work is in progress with the Revenue Commissioners, which will be providing the vital payslip data. I recently announced the recruitment of a chief executive officer of the new National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority, NAERSA, as well as the chair and members of its board. Further staff recruitment is at an advanced stage.”
“In that context, My Future Fund will complement the State pension fund and will provide additional income to future retirees to help secure their standard of living in retirement. Many milestones have already been reached on this journey. The legislation to underpin this new system, the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act, became law in 2024. Following an extensive procurement exercise, Tata Consultancy Services, TCS, based in Letterkenny, has been appointed as the managed service provider of the scheme’s administrative services and is busy building, configuring and testing its systems in line with the scheme’s requirements. Three investment managers - Irish Life Investment Managers, Amundi and BlackRock - have been selected following an extensive public procurement exercise.”
“If not addressed now, this low level of coverage means that a large cohort of people will, in their retirement, be fully dependent on the State pension and whatever assets they may have otherwise accumulated. For many, this will result in a significant drop in living standards. As well as a pension coverage gap, there is the ongoing challenge of pension adequacy in this country because even where people may be in a pension scheme, many of them are not saving enough to ensure an adequate income in retirement commensurate with their lifestyles. It is important to note at the outset that the State pension will remain the bedrock of the Irish State pension system, providing retirees with a basic level of income and protecting them against pensioner poverty. I cannot emphasise that enough.”
“Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Thank you for your patience. The Government has prioritised the introduction of the automatic enrolment retirement savings fund, which will be known by its brand name, My Future Fund. It is one of our key reform commitments to support workers and has been a key priority for me personally as Minister for Social Protection. The scheme is necessary to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland, where it is estimated that only 35% of private sector workers are in pension schemes. This pension coverage gap exists despite the fact that successive Governments, over many decades, have provided significant incentivisation through tax relief.”
“As a result, we have approved an extension of the 9% VAT rate currently applied to gas and electricity to October 2025, at an estimated cost of €85 million and the cross-government energy affordability task force has been asked to identify further measures. These are priority issues for this Government. The Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, will deal with more later. They will be tackled over the lifetime of this Government. We are determined that we will reduce child poverty and we will make lasting and sustainable progress to support children across our country.”
“While that exploratory work is under way to ensure that we do not end up in that situation, and therefore a second tier payment will not be announced as part of budget 2026, specific targeted supports will be in place through the programmes I have already mentioned. The Government fully recognises that supporting families with children on low income with housing costs, as well as supporting families in homelessness to secure sustainable housing is key to reducing child poverty. Preventing and reducing homelessness among families is a cornerstone of tackling child poverty and the Minister, Deputy Browne, will deal with that when he speaks in the debate. On energy costs, the Government fully recognises the pressures that these costs have on families with children on low income.”
“We are continuing to examine this and other approaches to ensure resources are directed at families with children who are most in need of support. There is a wide range of possible approaches. We want to ensure that all are given full consideration and to determine which will have the maximum impact in reducing child poverty. It is vital that any new approach introduced does not have unintended consequences that would leave those families and children we are trying to help worse off in the medium term. We know from discussions with the ESRI that some proposals for a second tier of child benefit would not see all affected families better off. Some families could see a reduction in the support they receive under some of those proposed models.”
“With regard to budget 2026, we have made clear the importance of directing support to families with children who need it most. We know from research previously undertaken, which was referred to by Deputy Sherlock, that the most effective means of achieving this objective is through established targeted measures. Those measures include the child support and working family payments, which is why these will be a priority in the forthcoming budget. The payments provide targeted assistance directly linked to household income, supporting low-income families with children, and are paid to qualified households in addition to the universal child benefit. As has been discussed, we have a programme for Government commitment to explore a targeted child benefit payment and to examine the interaction this would have with existing targeted supports.”
“Until the release of this data, child consistent poverty had been on a downward trend, peaking in 2013 at 12.7% and falling to its lowest level in 2023, at 4.8%. That trend was reversed and the figure increased to 8.5% in the CSO survey on income and living conditions 2024. It is important to remember that the data collected under the SILC has a time lag. This latest data is based on 2023 income and therefore does not reflect the full response to child poverty in recent years including the measures I have just referred to. In budget 2025, the weekly personal rate increases to social welfare payments were expanded. We specifically invested €167 million in children through the largest ever increase in the child support payment, €8 per week for children aged 12 years and older.”
“There are a number of parliamentary questions on it tomorrow and we will go through it in detail. That is a €320 million investment on the part of the Government to address child food poverty in particular. Those glitches cannot be allowed to hide a very important programme. We delivered a holiday meals pilot project this summer, which provided meals to 68,000 children in 914 schools over the summer holidays. Free schoolbooks have also been rolled out to all children in primary school. In fairness, Deputy O'Reilly has championed the need for us to look at that scheme with a view to laptops and iPads. That is something I am anxious to do. The increases in child poverty rates reported in March 2025 by the Central Statistics Office in its survey on income and living conditions for 2024 are very disappointing.”
“Combined, they invested €4.9 billion in communities across the country. They included increases in core social welfare rates, including child benefit. They also included the largest ever increase in the child support payment and increases in the working family payment, targeted measures that reach the families with children who are most in need. The number eligible for fuel allowance was also increased. The Government has also invested heavily in non-income services for families and children. We have significantly reduced childcare fees through the national childcare scheme. I tell Deputy Kenny that we have expanded the hot meals scheme to all primary schools. There are difficulties with one company and its linked companies but others are standing in. Officials in my Department are working to fix that at the moment.”
“A whole-of-government approach means that, along with targeted income measures, we will focus on concrete and measurable actions in respect of areas such as housing, employment, childcare, health and education. These cross-government actions will be outlined in the successor to the national poverty strategy, the roadmap for social inclusion 2026-2030, which is currently being developed by my Department. This will be launched in the first half of 2026 and will, for the first time, have a specific focus on child poverty. Our commitment to reducing child poverty is reflected in investment in concrete support to the families and children who are most in need. The last two budgets, those for 2024 and 2025, contained the largest social welfare packages in the history of the State.”
“The goal is ambitious and reflects a reduction of 5.5 percentage points from the current child consistent poverty rate of 8.5%. It will require sustained investment across the whole of Government as part of a continual process. In addition to that child poverty target, the child poverty and well-being programme office is developing a dashboard of indicators, which will allow for the measurement of child poverty and well-being in a holistic manner across all of Government. In the years ahead, this new target will guide those cross-government policies and will ensure that investment is targeted at those who need it most so that we can lift as many children as possible out of poverty.”
“The Government is absolutely committed to breaking the vicious cycle of child poverty in a sustained and continuing process. Reducing child poverty and ensuring every child has the best start in life will be a core focus of budget 2026 and throughout the lifetime of this Government. Our determination to have a decisive impact on child poverty is reflected in our programme for Government commitments and in our actions since taking office. The Government established a child poverty and well-being programme office in the Department of the Taoiseach in 2023. This ensures cross-departmental co-ordination to address the complex issue of child poverty. In addition, on 10 September, we published our commitment to a new and ambitious child poverty target. This target is 3% or less in consistent poverty, to be achieved by the end of 2030.”
“Mike Ryan of the World Health Organization said that children are our most precious resource and that we cannot leave children behind. As articulated in our programme for Government, child poverty is not inevitable. Dr. Ryan also told us that day that there are no easy solutions to child poverty, which is complex and multidimensional, and that the only way to ensure our children feel they belong and that they can thrive is through shared commitment and targeted and sustained action over a sustained and continual process. He also mentioned that there can never be an end to this effort. Therefore, as a society, we must continually strive to tackle child poverty. While difficult, it is an immensely important challenge that we must and will achieve.”
“At this point, I will apologise on behalf of the Minister for housing. He will be with us but he is currently opening 290 new homes for Tuath Housing in Citywest. He will join the debate to deal with the issues Deputy Wall has dealt with. I have already given my apologies to Deputy Wall at a previous commitment. The Government is determined to break the cycle. We will strive to create a society that gives all children the opportunity to succeed and to maximise their potential. It is this commitment to tackle child poverty that the Taoiseach outlined at the child poverty and well-being summit held on 11 September. The Taoiseach has made it very clear that tackling child poverty and homelessness is a key priority for this Government. Speaking at that summit, Dr.”
“The amendment outlines our determination to drive down child poverty rates and records the progress that has been made to date on this critical issue. I think we all agree that tackling child poverty and homelessness is not merely a matter of policy, but a national imperative that is rooted in our values as a Republic. The cost of inaction is measured not in economic terms but, much more importantly, in the futures of those children and in the well-being of the families across Ireland. Any child who grows up in poverty faces barriers that limit his or her potential, from poor educational outcomes and diminished health to reduced opportunities for participation in school or community life. Where unaddressed, these challenges will perpetuate cycles of disadvantage that stretch across generations.”
“I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes that: — reducing child poverty and ensuring every child has the best start in life are key priorities for this Government and will be a core focus of Budget 2026; — the Government has prioritised the reduction of child poverty through the establishment of the dedicated Child Poverty and Well-Being Programme Office, ensuring cross-departmental coordination to address the root causes of poverty affecting children and families; — the increases in child poverty rates, as reported in March 2025 by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in its Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2024, are disappointing, until the release of this data, child consistent poverty in Ireland had been on a downward trend, peaking in 2013 at 12.7 per cent and falling to its lowest level in 2023 at 4.8 per cent; — the CSO data is based on 2023 income data, and therefore does not reflect the Government's full response to the cost of living that were contained in Budget 2024 and Budget 2025; — overall, the last two budgets each contained the largest social welfare packages in the history of the State and combined, invested €4.9 billion in communities across the country; — this included, unprecedented increases in core social welfare rates, the largest ever increase in the Child Support Payment, an increase in the Working Family Payment, and increasing the number of people who are eligible for the Fuel Allowance; — none of these increases are included in the latest CSO data, nor has the Government's significant investment in non-income supports for children and families during this time, such as the significant expansion of School Meals Scheme and free schoolbooks; — the School Meals Scheme has now been expanded to enable the roll-out to all primary schools, with 3,200 schools and 550,000 children now eligible; — in addition, over 23,000 children are availing of cold lunches, while a Holiday Meals pilot project took place this summer with 914 schools providing meals to 68,000 children; — the Government has expanded the roll-out of free schoolbooks for all children in primary education, and more recently this has been expanded to Junior Cycle; — the Government have announced a new Child Poverty Target of 3 per cent or less, of consistent poverty, to be achieved by the end of 2030; — meeting this Child Poverty Target will require sustained investment over the lifetime of this Government and beyond; — the Government is investing almost €6.8 billion in 2025 to support the delivery of social, affordable and Cost Rental homes, housing supply has increased significantly with almost 32,800 social homes delivered between 2022 to 2024; — Budget 2025 provided an allocation of €303 million for the delivery of homeless services, an increase of €61 million or 25 per cent on the 2024 Budget allocation, in addition, €25 million in capital funding is supporting the delivery of high quality transitional and emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness; — the Government recently announced that an additional €50 million for housing acquisitions will prioritise families in long-term homelessness; — the Government has committed €325 million to support a second-hand acquisitions programme in 2025, allowing local authorities to target priority categories of housing needs, including families in long-term homelessness; — the Government approved an extension of the 9 per cent Value Added Tax rate currently applied to gas and electricity to October 2025, at an estimated cost of €85 million; and — a cross Government National Energy Affordability Taskforce has been established to identify, assess, and implement measures that will enhance energy affordability for households while delivering key renewable commitments and protecting security of supply and economic stability; and acknowledges that: — the Government is committed to further progress, building on the initiatives already introduced, targeting those most at risk, and ensuring that every child has the opportunity to thrive in a fairer and more inclusive society; and — the Government will utilise Budget 2026 and future budgets, to prioritise measures aimed at tackling child poverty and reducing homelessness.".”
“Beidh muid ag obair i gcomhthéacs an chéad cáinaisnéise eile agus clár an Rialtais, an Rialtas a bheidh againn le haghaidh an chéad ceithre bliana eile.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Heneghan. Is mór an chaill é do TG4 go bhfuil sé anseo sa Dáil. Tá muid ag iarraidh go mbeidh airgead breise ann, ach caithfear a rá freisin go bhfuil an méid airgid is mó riamh i stair an Stáit á chaitheamh ar chúrsaí Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta. Tá muid ag iarraidh seasamh le daoine a bhfuil suim acu sa Ghaeltacht agus leo siúd a labhraíonn an Ghaeilge nó a bhfuil cónaí orthu sa Ghaeltacht le go mbeidh cúrsaí níos fearr. Níl an t-airgead atá á chaitheamh ar TG4 san áireamh sna figiúirí sin. Tá muid ag obair i gcomhthéacs an chéad cáinaisnéise eile. We are working to increase the budget for the Gaeltacht and Gaeilge activities. I have the support of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and our colleagues in government. We have serious ambitions in this Department over the course of the programme for Government.”