NEWS

The Minister states: The primary aim of the Help to Buy scheme is to encourage additional supply of new houses by supporting demand. It also assists first-time purchasers with the deposit they need to buy or build a new home. The scheme provides a refund of Income Tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax paid in Ireland over the previous four years, subject to the limits outlined in the legislation. Based on the latest available data from 31 March 2025, it has supported almost

The Minister states: The Department of Children, Disability and Equality has policy responsibility for improving access to high quality and affordable Early Learning and Care and School-Age Childcare. DCDE has recently established a Supply Management Unit, and a key part of that Unit's remit is to develop a planning function, for monitoring, analysing and forecasting of the supply and demand for early learning and childcare in a nuanced and specific way at local area level. M

The Minister states: The Government are conscious of the implications of energy costs for all sectors of society. Electricity and gas retail markets in Ireland operate within a European regulatory regime wherein these markets are commercial, liberalised, and competitive and are overseen by the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU). Price setting by energy suppliers is a commercial and operational matter for the companies concerned. As regards taxation, households a

The Minister states: The Funds Review recommendations on the taxation of investment funds and life assurance policies. As you are aware, in October 2024, my predecessor published the 'Funds Sector 2030: A Framework for Open, Resilient & Developing Markets'. This was an important and wide-ranging review of the funds and asset management sector in Ireland. The Report sets out 42 recommendations across a wide range of areas to support growth in the funds and asset management sec

The Minister states: The Help to Buy incentive, is a scheme to assist first-time purchasers with the deposit they need to buy or build a new house or apartment. It also has as an aim to encourage additional supply of new houses by supporting demand. Help to Buy provides a refund of Income Tax and Deposit Interest Retention Tax (DIRT) paid in Ireland over the previous four years, subject to limits outlined in the legislation. As of 31 March 2025, the scheme had supported almos

The Minister states: My Department is projecting a general Government surplus of € 8.7 billion in 2025. This surplus is heavily dependant on highly volatile corporate tax receipts. My Department, the Central Bank, the Fiscal Council and numerous others have highlighted that these receipts are not guaranteed into the future. My Department estimates the revenue-at-risk to be around € 13 billion this year; this estimate is broadly similar to that of the Central Bank and Fiscal C

The Minister states: Maintaining a variety of payment options in the State is important for the economy and for ensuring the financial inclusion of consumers who are older, on fixed or lower incomes or at risk of digital exclusion. The availability of non-digital payment options ensures that certain vulnerable groups are not excluded from participating in our society. This is why cash access has been ensured via the recently passed Finance (Provision of Access to Cash Infrast

The Minister states: I recognise the concerns on profitability levels in certain segments of the market. Structural reform and ensuring the long-term affordability and sustainability of the Irish insurance market, while ensuring a viable insurance sector, are priorities for this Government. The insurance market’s profitability in 2022 and 2023 was supported by significant reserve releases following the Covid-19 pandemic. After a number of years of losses, the National Claims

The Minister states: In line with the commitments made in the programme for Government, I recently announced a series of actions to accelerate the delivery of strategic infrastructure in Ireland, including the creation of a new infrastructure division in my Department. Initially, the infrastructure division will focus on the preparation of a systematic, evidence-based assessment of the barriers impeding timely infrastructure development. To undertake this work, experts from k

The Minister states: The programme for Government sets out the clear ambition to prioritise the delivery of transformative, critical and growth-enhancing infrastructure over the next five years.  To support these goals, Government has prioritised an early review of the national development plan, which is being led by my Department. From February, officials in my Department set about identifying the parameters, priorities and critical milestones for the review. This was done t

The Minister states: Budget 20 25 , announced by Government last October, set-out a planned gross expenditure envelope of €105.4bn. This funding has been provided to deliver on Government priorities and commitments, including continuing the delivery of a National Development Plan (NDP) which is providing the vital infrastructure we need to support our future economic and social progress. This funding is also providing appropriate income supports for better outcomes in tacklin

The Minister states: My department recently published the ‘Guidelines for the Responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Service’. These guidelines compliment and inform strategies regarding the adoption of innovative technology and ways of working already underway in the public service, and seek to set a high standard for public service transformation and innovation, while prioritising public trust and people’s rights. The Guidelines have been developed to acti

The Minister states: I launched the new accelerating infrastructure task force on Friday 16 May. At the task force's first meeting, the terms of reference were agreed and there was a discussion of the work plan of the Department's newly established infrastructure division over the coming months. Primarily, the role of the task force is to provide its members' expertise and guidance to assist my Department's work programme of identifying and addressing barriers to the delivery

The Minister states: The Government data centre initiative is led by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, OGCIO, a division within my Department. It is an action item in the Government’s public service ICT strategy and aims to deliver and centrally support ICT as a shared service rather than have common technical solutions in each public sector body. The Government data centre project will deliver high-quality, energy efficient data centre facilities which

The Minster states: A broad range of factors influence staff recruitment and retention. As a result of Ireland's significant economic growth, unemployment is low and labour market conditions remain tight. Labour and skills shortages are presenting recruitment and retention challenges for employers across the labour market, including the civil and public service. Despite this, staff numbers in the public sector have continued to grow significantly. Between 2015 and quarter 1 o

The Minister states: My Department works to serve the country, its people and the Government by delivering well-managed and well-targeted public spending, delivered through modernised, effective and accountable public services. The process around outsourcing set out in the public service pay agreement states that where outsourcing is being considered in respect of an existing service, both official and staff sides will consult on the development of a service plan which evalua

The Minister states: The publication of the internal audit report by the OPW, following the review of projects costing €500,000 and under is welcome. It follows a commitment to learn from the bike shelter project and presents the internal audit findings, control recommendations and management response. The OPW has accepted and is actively implementing all the recommendations within the report. The internal audit report enables us to focus on continuing to strengthen ways of w

The Minister states: The programme for Government significantly expanded my Department’s work on infrastructure and included the establishment of a new infrastructure division. The division's specific responsibilities and deliverables are being progressed as part of the Department's forthcoming statement of strategy, which will go to Government in advance of the summer. The key Government commitments that the infrastructure division will be responsible for delivering in the s

The Minister states: I have established the accelerating infrastructure task force to support the immediate work programme of the new infrastructure division in my Department, which is to identify and propose measures to address barriers to the delivery of strategic infrastructure across Ireland.  This issue is key priority for me and the Government.  The work programme for the task force and the new division will focus on many critical infrastructure areas in terms of the el

The Minister states: the Central Bank does not sell or oversee the sale of Israeli bonds. It is important to be clear as to the role of the Central Bank because it has been misrepresented repeatedly. To be clear again, the Central Bank's role under EU legislation is to assess the bond prospectus to ensure that it includes all the disclosure requirements of the EU prospectus regulation. Neither the issuer - in this case the State of Israel - nor the financial products become r