Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their questions. In relation to domestic and gender-based violence, as I said in my initial reply, we are writing the strategy now for 2023 to 2025. I will certainly give consideration to referring to that specifically in the new strategy. Action on this is very much led by the Minister for Justice, particularly Deputy McEntee, who will be returning from leave quite soon. I do think the introduction of leave related to domestic and gender-based violence is a step forward. I want to recognise Deputy O'Reilly's role in pressing that legislation through a Private Members' Bill. However, I think we are running into a bit of a difficulty with leave in general. There are lots of different proposals at the moment for different forms of leave. Even now, different forms of leave come with different forms of pay. There is full pay for annual leave or public holidays. Sick pay is 70% of pay up to a certain amount. There is unpaid leave and leave where the Government pays the benefit and the employer does not. I know that the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment would rather look at it all in the round, rather than adding new forms of ad hocleave with different terms and conditions.

On the shared island initiative that was mentioned by Deputy Brendan Smith, as provided for in the programme for Government, we are continuing our shared island initiative to achieve benefits for the whole island, working with all communities for a shared future as underpinned by the Good Friday Agreement. The initiative is taken forward by Ministers and Departments on a whole-of-government basis, driven by and co-ordinated through the shared island unit. Over the past two years, the Government has allocated just under €200 million from the fund for projects and investments that respond to common interests and concerns for people right across the island, including on climate action and biodiversity conservation, regional development and innovation and deepening our societal connections. The Government will seek to undertake significantly more all-island investment co-operation with the new Northern Ireland Executive and with the British Government. The civic engagement and research programmes of the shared island unit are also continuing and we remain committed to the New Decade New Approach Agreement of 2020.

So far, significant allocations have been made from the shared island fund to long-standing infrastructure projects, such as the Ulster Canal and the Narrow Water Bridge. We continue to work with our counterparts in Northern Ireland to advance these and other New Decade, New Approach commitments that will increase and improve all-island connectivity, co-operation and opportunity.

The Government set out in December the priorities for this year. Those priorities are to honour our commitment on greater access to higher education in the north west, particularly around Derry and Letterkenny; to step up co-operation on educational attainment; to do more to assist all-island enterprise development; to develop a bioeconomy on an all-island basis; to progress a cross-Border green hydrogen pilot corridor; and to scope an island-wide greenway network by linking the current cross-Border routes.

I could be totally wrong, but I had thought that the change to the regional uplift maps for film was a temporary measure that is due to expire. I could absolutely be wrong about that.

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