Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for the responses. The work that has been done is absolutely phenomenal. It is good to hear that when the report comes out around the social inclusion and community activation programme, SICAP, the metrics do show that the existing communities who continue to need that support are not being impacted and that they need extra funding or extra support. That is welcome.

The libraries issue is completely off the track on this in terms of funding, but I commend the people working in the libraries. We need to give them supports with regard to some of the issues they have been facing with people coming into the libraries, particularly the right-wing groups that have been harassing them. I know this a funding issue, but it needs to come very strongly from this committee that the staff within those libraries need to be fully supported.