Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [8212/23]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the social affairs and public service unit of his Department. [9601/23]

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [9974/23]

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [10049/23]

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [10064/23]

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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6. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [10248/23]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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7. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the work of the social policy and public service reform division of his Department. [10249/23]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 1 go 7, go huile, le chéile.

The role of the social policy and public service reform division is to assist me, as Taoiseach, and the Government, in fulfilling programme for Government objectives to help create a socially inclusive and fair society. Specifically, the division assists the work of the newly-established Cabinet committees, as follows. The Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services and the associated senior officials' group oversee programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy, with a particular focus on equality and integration, and public service reform. The Cabinet committee on children and education and the associated senior officials' group oversee programme for Government commitments in the area of children and education, including further and higher education, with a specific focus on child poverty and well-being, and reducing local area disadvantage. The Cabinet committee on health and the associated senior officials' group oversee programme for Government commitments regarding health and health reform, including Sláintecare, reform of disability services and development of mental health services. This Cabinet committee will also maintain an overview of public health, including the impact of Covid-19 and the cross-Government response. The Cabinet committee on the humanitarian response to Ukraine and the associated senior officials' group oversee the whole-of-Government humanitarian response to assist people from Ukraine who have sought temporary protection in Ireland.

The division also assists the work of the Civil Service management board which oversees Civil Service renewal and other matters. It has departmental oversight of the National Economic and Social Council, NESC and the Dublin North East Inner City Initiative, including through assisting the work of the programme implementation board, programme office, and oversight group. It has responsibility for establishing the new child poverty unit. It leads on the oversight of A Policing Service for our Future. It assists public service reform through membership of the public service leadership board and public service management group. It provides me with briefing and speech material on social policy and public service reform issues. It also participates in relevant interdepartmental committees and other groups.

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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I ask the Taoiseach about leaving certificate reform, which seems to have come off the rails again, unfortunately. Much expectation was built up over the course of Covid, when we had different forms of leaving certificate assessment, that we could have a radical overhaul of this very outdated exam which is not fit for purpose. It has not changed since I did it 30 years ago. There is much disquiet about the fact that the leaving certificate results day will be late again this year, as it was last year, which has implications for students. The mental health of young people is something we talk about an awful lot but the leaving certificate has the biggest impact on the life of a 17, 18 or 19-year-old. We have an opportunity to change it. In fairness to the Minister, she has recommended some changes but she has fallen away from them. Perhaps this needs the Department of the Taoiseach to intervene. When will we see a radical shake-up of this outdated exam? It really is not fit for purpose anymore. I do not think anybody would stand up in this Chamber and say that it needs to stay in the current format.

Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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I listened to the Taoiseach's response, including about creating an inclusive and fair society. I raise an issue with him that has again come across my desk that is neither inclusive nor fair. A nine-year-old child living in my constituency has been told it will take between four and six years for urgent and extensive root canal treatment in the public system. To seek treatment privately would cost thousands of euro that this family, like so many others, simply does not have. Our dental care remains a postcode lottery, with children waiting almost ten years for HSE school dental screening services. Primary level children who should receive three check-ups are not even receiving the first until well into the secondary school period. This is the most basic and routine of dental care which ensures that future costs are significantly reduced. This deterioration of the public dental health scheme is simply unacceptable. It is another example of the unravelling of that social contract. My constituents work hard but they simply cannot put their hands on that level of money. Like so many others, they have to choose between heating, eating and now ensuring that their daughter has the appropriate level of dental care. When will the Taoiseach take action to address this and the dental treatment scheme service?

Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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When the film "La Haine" was released, then French Prime Minister, Alain Juppé, organised a special screening and instructed his cabinet to attend so that they might learn something about alienation in the Parisian suburbs. Will the Taoiseach organise a special screening for his Cabinet of the new film documentary, "406 Days", which premieres at the Dublin International Film Festival this Saturday night and deals with the outrageous treatment of workers in this country by a multinational company? The company in question is Debenhams and the 406 days referred to in the title is the number of days that workers were forced to walk the picket lines for justice. The Taoiseach and his Ministers might well blush in the darkness should they organise such a screening, as the failure of the Government to act in defence of those workers is apparent throughout. Will the Taoiseach now avail of the opportunity afforded by the launch of this film to say loud and clear that the Debenhams Bill, which aims to improve workers' rights in a liquidation situation and ensure that such a scandal never happens again in this State, will now pass quickly through these Houses and into law?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Society of St. Vincent de Paul reports today that it got 230,000 requests for help in 2022, 40% of which were about energy costs. While everybody is being hammered by the energy increases and profiteering of energy companies, one cohort is being even worse hit because the inadequate electricity credits the Government has given to people are not being given to this cohort at all. I got an email from one person in Enniskerry today. In a response from that person's management company, it was made clear that probably thousands of apartment dwellers are in this situation and that the Electricity Costs (Domestic Electricity Accounts) Emergency Measures and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 only covers meters with a DG1 or DG2 classification. If people have a meter with a DG6 classification, which thousands of multi-unit apartment dwellers have, they get nothing. They face bills of thousands and have not even got the €200 credit which, in and of itself, was inadequate.

Will the Taoiseach do anything for these people because they are being absolutely fleeced by profiteering energy companies?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies once again for the questions. Deputy Ó Ríordáin raised the issue of senior cycle or leaving certificate reform. I assure the House that we are committed to ensuring that the leaving certificate is reformed and that it meets the needs of Irish students and the broader society and economy. Any system that does not evolve, no matter how highly regarded it is, will be overtaken by other countries where systems have evolved to prepare students for the ever-changing modern world. For example, the volume of data created and consumed over the past decade alone has increased by 5,000%. Ireland has a knowledge-based economy that thrives on the high quality of our graduates and workforce. Reforms have been made to date. It is not the case that the leaving certificate is the same exam that Deputy Ó Ríordáin or I did. Between 2016 and 2020 for example, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, undertook an extensive review of senior cycle programmes and vocational pathways to include transition year, the leaving certificate applied, the leaving certificate vocational programme, and the leaving certificate established as well as Project Maths. The review involved broad research and consultation and was published in March of last year. The three tenets of senior cycle reform are to empower students to meet the challenges of the 21st century; to enrich the student experience and build on what is good in our current system; and to embed wellbeing and reduce student stress levels. The move of paper 1 was intended as an interim measure to spread the assessment load and to reduce stress for students. It was intended that as many students as possible could feel some effect of the reform programme before the main reform programme was introduced. The Minister for Education has listened to concerns from teachers' unions, students, Conradh na Gaeilge and others about the impact of Covid-19 on this year's transition year students in particular. Students sought clarity on the planning for the remodelled papers and despite this work being very advanced, student representatives continue to have concerns. To bring clarity for all concerned and to allow more time for the introduction of a paper 1 at the end of fifth year in Irish and English the Minister made her announcement having briefed the Cabinet beforehand.

On the issue of dental waiting lists, I acknowledge they can be very long. I know of many cases in my own constituency that are similar to the one the Deputy mentioned and they are unacceptably long. There is engagement between the Government and the Irish Dental Association at the moment and additional funding has been provided in the budget for the dental treatment service scheme, DTSS, and we are keen to spend that money and to deploy it but we need to have an agreement with dentists on that, and we are examining whether we can use the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, to pay for some children to go privately if that is the only way they can get the dental care they need.

I have seen "La Haine". It is one of my favourite films and it is a particular portrayal, of course, of life in suburban Paris. I imagine there are other films also that might give a more rounded view but that is an aside. We do not have any plans at the moment to organise film screenings for staff but we encourage staff to attend the Dublin Film Festival to see whichever film they choose that they think they will find the most interesting.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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They should watch the film about Debenhams.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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On the serious point, both Ministers of State, Deputies Richmond and Calleary, are working on changes to company law and employment law with regard to insolvencies, workers' rights, redundancy and the interplay therein.

I am familiar with some issues around the energy credit, particularly for people living in mobile homes and caravans. I am not particularly familiar with the one around the DG6 meters but I will speak to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, about it. If all else fails, the way around this might be to use an exceptional needs payment and just make a payment of €600 to the people affected. The intention of the energy credit was that every household world receive a €600 discount from their bills and if there are complications or anomalies, I am keen to mop them up. It is there for everyone and I do not want people to be left out.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Will the Taoiseach get back to us on that?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I can. Could the Deputy send me a note on it? There are a few anomalies that I am not 100% sure on; I am not fully across that one.