Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Under Standing Order 38 we move to Leaders' Questions. I call on Deputy McDonald.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I reiterate the Ceann Comhairle's words. Julie, you are an absolute legend and you know it. Thank you for everything. I know everybody sends nothing but the best of wishes to you and the family for the next chapter of what I have no doubt will be an interesting and delicious story. Thank you for looking after us.

Last night the Israelis attacked a peaceful flotilla that includes a Member of the Oireachtas, our colleague Senator Chris Andrews. This is a serious development and I have submitted a request under Standing Order 44 which I hope will be looked upon favourably. This flotilla is in imminent danger. I think there are over 20 Irish citizens on it, including Senator Andrews.

Yesterday I raised with the Minister, Deputy O'Callaghan, the pressure households are under to keep up with out-of-control prices, stretched to the limit just to get by. I raised the fact the price of groceries has gone through the roof, increasing sharply in the past 12 weeks, and that four energy companies have announced big electricity price hikes. These hikes will hit households hard.

As an example, I was talking to one father yesterday. He has two children. He and his partner work hard all week but he is already borrowing from his parents just to pay his bills. His savings have been wiped out and he does not know where he would find the money to pay for even higher bills. That is how tight things are and he is not on his own.

Workers and families are at a loss as to how the Government stands back and refuses to take direct action to tackle this crisis. I said to the Minister yesterday the budget has to be about ending the rip-off, getting costs under control and supporting workers and families, and I told him that withdrawing energy credits in the budget is a terrible decision. I repeat that today. Instead of recognising the pressure people are under, the Minister chose to stand up and boast that he will not intervene or give way to what he chose to describe as "populist outrage". That is one for the books. How is this for populist outrage? Flogas electricity prices and student fees are already up; on 1 October, VHI charges go up; on 8 October, petrol and diesel prices go up; on 9 October, Energia electricity goes up; on 12 October, Bord Gais electricity prices go up; on 13 October, Pinergy electricity goes upon 20 October, SSE Airtricity goes up; and on 1 November, local property tax charges go up. There you have it, Minister. Those are some of the body blows households will take literally days after the budget.

Here is the big shock - the electric shock, if you like. Almost 1 million households will see their electricity bills go up because of these price hikes. How is that for populist outrage?

People have a right to be angry; as a matter of fact, they have a right to be furious because they see a Government that has done nothing to stop energy companies ripping them off and now it wants to cancel the energy credits. Yesterday, in an attempt to justify that out-of-touch decision, the Minister said credits were introduced at a time of very high energy prices. That remark left people shaking their heads because their electricity bills are getting higher and higher and they are being pushed closer to the edge. Tá ardaithe móra ar phraghsanna ag teacht d’oibrithe agus do theaghlaigh sna seachtainí atá romhainn, go háirithe ar phraghsanna leictreachais a bheidh mar bhuille ollmhór do theaghlaigh. Ní féidir leis an Rialtas neamhaird a thabhairt ar an mbrú atá ar dhaoine. Caithfidh creidiúintí fuinneamh a bheith sa bhuiséad. The barrage of electricity price hikes facing households must be an eye-opener for Government. Surely to goodness, it cannot leave people high and dry. I tried yesterday, and will try again today, to ask that Government reverse the crazy decision to withdraw energy credits in the forthcoming budget.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist. On behalf of myself and the Government parties, I would also like to wish Julie Lyons all the best in her retirement. I thank her for the excellent service she has provided to Members over 34 years. There is an expression in politics: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." That certainly never applied to Julie. She served us loyally and I have been instructed by colleagues to say they will very much miss her Christmas puddings once she departs. I thank her for her service.

I want to express concern for my former constituency colleague, Senator Andrews. Deputy McDonald mentioned how the flotilla of people lawfully protesting the slaughter in Gaza was attacked last night by Israeli forces. This seems to show the Israeli Government is prepared to attack non-combatants whether they are in Gaza or in international waters. On behalf of the Irish Government, I condemn the actions of the Israeli Government in unlawfully attacking a lawful flotilla that is seeking to engage in peaceful activity on international waters.

I was not being flippant yesterday when I responded to the issues Deputy McDonald raised. I assure her the Government takes extremely seriously the issues concerning the cost of living and the pressures they put on families. The Deputy recounted a series of increases that will take place. The Government is well aware of those increases and the pressures they will put on families, whether the increases are in energy costs or in the area of health insurance. However, it is important to note the reason the energy credits were introduced a number of years ago was the extraordinary rate of inflation in the country and throughout the world in the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In this country, inflation was in the region of 10% but since then because of measures taken by Government, for which no credit is given by the Deputy, inflation has been brought under control and is at reasonable levels.

When it comes to the budget that will be announced in 13 days by the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe and Chambers, I assure Deputy McDonald that concern for the cost of living and hard-pressed families will be at the centre.

The Deputy mentioned a number of items she highlighted yesterday. Similarly, I want to remind her of the protections provided by the Government in the last budget.

She will be aware that there was an increased payment in respect of the rent tax credit for 2024 from €1,000 to €2,000. She will be aware that there was the extension of the 9% reduced VAT rate for gas and electricity. That is a very real measure that was introduced and maintained by the Government for the purpose of trying to protect consumers from increasing costs in the energy sector. She will also be aware of the extension of the mortgage interest relief until the end of 2025 and a €300 lump sum payment in respect of the fuel allowance. That is leaving aside other social welfare protections that were introduced in the previous budget and that I know will also be introduced in this budget.

I ask the Deputy to await the outcome of the budget. She seems fixated on the fact that the Government has announced that it is not going reintroduce the energy credits that it introduced over the past number of years. They were measures that were not met with favour by Sinn Féin when they were introduced here.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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That was because they were too low.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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They were part of a Government proposal that was sneered at by Sinn Féin at the time. Let us wait to see what the Ministers, Deputies Chambers and Donohoe, and the rest of the Government come up with. I assure the Deputy that the cost-of-living issue will be at the forefront of their consideration and Government consideration.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister should be aware that, despite the fact of inflation coming down, the prices are still very high. He is surely aware, because I have told him repeatedly and he would have known, that energy companies are announcing hikes in electricity prices. We have not seen the budget yet, but what the Government has made very clear - it has really dug in on this point - is that there will not be a cost-of-living package. The Government said that clearly and that the energy credits were off the table. I am simply putting it to the Minister at a time when families are struggling. I gave him one instance of one young father from a double-income household that is borrowing from their parents. They are at their limit now. They are not alone. Hundreds of thousands of people and families across the State now are at that limit. I am simply asking the Government, given that it has not managed to stop gauging by the big energy companies, which we will come to again, to give those families and workers the reassurance that there will be energy credits in the forthcoming budget at an adequate level. We have suggested €450.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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Every Government TD, and indeed every TD who is not in Sinn Féin, is aware of the pressures that people are under when it comes to the cost of living. The Deputy does not have a monopoly in terms of understanding that. We are fully aware of it. We have introduced measures in the past that the Deputy has acknowledged have ameliorated the cost-of-living pressures on people. She is acknowledging that by giving us credit for the energy credits that were introduced in the past. The fact that we have done this in the past is indicative that it will be done again in the future. Measures will be available to ensure that-----

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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So, what does that mean?

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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-----families are at the centre of the budget package that will be introduced 13 days from now. The Deputy spoke about the cost of energy. She also has to be aware of the other measures that have been introduced by the Government to alleviate costs on families. For instance, if we look at the retrofitting that is going on, over €558 million has been allocated for residential and community energy schemes in 2025. A total of €280 million has been specifically allocated to the warmer homes scheme, which provides free retrofits to households in energy poverty.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Will I tell that to the young father? That is great. I am delighted.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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A lot has been done and the Deputy should not ignore it.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I wish to start by joining in the tributes to Julie Lyons. We wish her and her family well on her well-deserved retirement after 34 years and seeing off nine taoisigh. We will miss her. My colleagues have reminded me just how kind and generous she has always been, particularly to the children who visit this House regularly. That has been really appreciated, and also the way she brought fun to our food - Christmas dinners in September and the legendary Markievicz trifles. I thank her very much for everything. She will be missed.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I wish to express my condemnation of the attacks last night on the global flotilla for Gaza. Our former constituency colleague Senator Chris Andrews is among the Irish citizens on the flotilla. I urge the Minister to work with EU colleagues to ensure the safety of all those on that flotilla. It is appalling to see attacks in this way, and it is yet another example of Israel feeling it can apparently act with impunity against international law.

This week, a stark warning on climate was issued to the Government. Research by Met Éireann and Maynooth University shows that Ireland experienced extraordinarily high temperatures during the summer of 2025 with average night-time temperatures beating all previous records. This is a terrifying finding. We are seeing catastrophic effects of climate change around the world – forest fires, mudslides and floods. Despite this, certain political leaders internationally are tragically turning away from the science and are embracing climate denial and conspiracy theories. We scoff at Trump’s appalling rhetoric on climate, but here at home since the Green Party left government, we have also seen a shift. The Government is not taking climate change seriously enough. This is having real impact on people's lives. Hard-pressed households are facing impossible choices this winter while struggling to cover home heating bills due to huge hikes in fossil fuel costs. A total of 300,000 households are in arrears on their electricity bills. There is no sign of a winter moratorium on disconnections. There are still people impacted by the worst effects of climate change, such as Storm Éowyn and other storms. People are continuing to struggle with the cost of repairs. There are no big ideas on climate forthcoming from the Government. We saw the climate targets retained in the programme for Government. That was welcome. However, there was no pathway to achieve them. At the outset of the formation of this Government, there was the slashing of funds for sustainable travel, public transport, and cycling and active travel in favour of building more and more roads. The Government's policy continues to turn a blind eye to the impact of data centres on emissions, household bills and energy security. Retrofitting too often remains the preserve of the wealthy.

What we are asking for today is that the Government will give a commitment that this budget will take climate seriously and we will see serious measures adopted to invest in meeting our climate targets, making our communities more secure. We want to see the warmer homes scheme fixed so retrofitting can work for everyone. We want to see real State investment in developing renewables and rolling out offshore wind. Will the Government take climate seriously in this budget? Will the Minister give us a commitment today that it will do so?

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I should have pointed out when I was responding to Deputy McDonald that my understanding is that Deputy Barry Heneghan is on that flotilla as well. I extend my best wishes to him. I express my concern and the concern of the wider Government for his safety as well as that of Senator Andrews.

Deputy Bacik is being unfair. It is inappropriate to compare the response of the Irish Government to climate change to that of the response of the current American Government. That is inappropriate and it is not based among any factual understanding. It is not a fair assessment of the work that is being done by this Government since it came into office. There is no doubt but that this Government recognises that climate change is probably the most pressing challenge for our society. There is full recognition within the Government that the impacts of climate change are still to be seen on a continuous basis. If we look at the excessive temperatures we are experiencing, not just in Ireland but throughout Europe, and if we look at the extreme weather events that seem to be more frequent now, that is the evidence of what is happening as a result of climate change.

I know the Minister, Darragh O'Brien, takes his role extremely seriously when it comes to combating climate change. If we look at what has happened from the data, we can see that the 2024 data from the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, shows that Ireland's emissions continue to fall for the third year in a row and are at their lowest level in three decades compared with 1990 levels. Ireland's greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 2% in 2024 compared with 2023 and decreased by 10.6% from 2021 to 2024 while the economy grew strongly. It is important to note that there has been considerable success achieved in the area of climate change. It is a demanding target to meet our emissions, but they are targets that the Government is committed to meeting and is making its best endeavours to ensure that we do meet them. Ireland is in a slightly different position to many European countries where they have not seen the same level of economic expansion and growth that we have. We have been able to combine that expansion while at the same time ensuring that we take our climate obligations seriously.

The Deputy highlighted data centres. It is important that we do not start targeting one aspect of our economy for the purpose of presenting it as being the villain in terms of the cause of climate change. We need to recognise that climate change and the response to it will only be achieved through a co-ordinated agreed response from the Government in which society takes its part in and business plays its part as well.

The Deputy also mentioned the issue of retrofitting.

In my answer to Deputy McDonald, I highlighted the money that is available for retrofitting. That is a scheme that needs to be availed of by members of the public. The Government is backing it with money to ensure we can save on energy consumption.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I acknowledge Deputy Heneghan, who is on the flotilla along with other Irish citizens. We wish them all well and hope for their safety.

This Government's response to me on climate is another classic exercise in deflection. We heard it earlier during the Government's response to the motion on child poverty and child homelessness. It was deflection and side stepping. Of course this Government is not as bad as Trump on climate but there has been a noticeable shift away from taking climate seriously. I mentioned the road building issue. Let us look at LNG as well. This summer, the Minister for climate wrote to the planning regulator giving a green light to LNG, a light that is green in the metaphorical sense only because it is a policy U-turn at a time when this country faces up to €26 billion in fines for failing to achieve our legally binding climate targets. With respect, we know Minister O'Brien has form for missing targets. He was the housing Minister in the previous Government and the approach to climate targets in this Government reminds me of Fianna Fáil's reliance on inflated home delivery targets during the last general election campaign.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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I think it is a fair critique to make. The Government is not taking climate seriously-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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-----and we need commitments in this budget that will reassure us and ensure we meet our targets.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is ignoring the great work being done on securing renewable energy in this country. As of last February, 48% of Ireland's power was powered by onshore wind. They are facts the Deputy simply cannot ignore. The Deputy also talked about how we need to ensure there is no LNG plant. We have to provide people in this country with energy security.

Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail)
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Hear, hear.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It is absolutely essential we have a secure form of energy for them. The Deputy is aware of what is happening as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the consequence of that from a European perspective. We cannot continue to fund President Putin and Europe cannot continue to fund President Putin by purchasing his fossil oil.

A huge amount is being done. Minister O'Brien takes it extremely seriously. In terms of retrofitting, last year we hit an average of 1,000 retrofits per week. It is a huge achievement. In terms of greenways, there are many fine greenways around the country and more will be developed by Minister O'Brien. We are responding to the energy crisis. We are taking it extremely seriously and the fruits of our work are becoming apparent to the Irish public.

Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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On behalf of all of the Social Democrats team I also want to thank Julie for everything. I wish her huge congratulations on her retirement.

Before I begin, I want to say my thoughts are also with all those on the Global Sumud Flotilla, including Members of the Oireachtas, who were hit by drone strikes overnight. This is just another example of Israel operating in blatant breach of international law. There has to be consequences.

My question for the Minister is quite simple. What is he doing about large supermarkets that refuse to report their profits? Increases in grocery prices have been rapid and relentless. I know that, the Minister knows that and everybody who is doing their weekly shop knows that. I think we all have a fairly good idea why. Large supermarket chains are gouging their customers but we cannot prove it. Why? It is because they refuse to declare their profits and the Government refuses to make them.

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul has stated that nearly half of calls to it this year were about a single issue, namely, groceries. According to Barnardos, four in ten parents are skipping meals or eating less themselves to feed their children. Ireland is a wealthy country; it should not be such a struggle just to survive, because that is what we are talking about. We are talking about the cost of simply existing in this country - putting a roof over your head, keeping the lights on and putting food on the table. More and more people are finding life completely unaffordable.

The grocery market in Ireland is worth at least €10 billion per year and yet there is little to no transparency about its profits. Today, it was announced that Dunnes Stores in the North increased its profits last year by a whopping 44%. That is a staggering increase at a time when so many people are struggling. We do not know what the profit margins are in this jurisdiction because Dunnes Stores does not have to tell us. It does not have to file annual accounts and the Government refuses to do anything about it.

Many of us have long suspected the consumers in Ireland are being gouged by large supermarket chains but without full transparency on profit levels it is very difficult to prove this. The profits announced by Dunnes Stores in the North today do tell us one thing though, that business for it is booming but for its customers it is another story.

The Social Democrats have now been highlighting this issue for years. We have asked the Government to force large supermarket chains to publish their profits and to give more powers to the food regulator and consumer regulator so they can investigate and prevent supermarkets from ripping off their customers.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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However, the Government has done nothing.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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The Minister to respond.

Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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What will the Minister do to address this issue?

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for her question. Her statement that the Government is doing nothing is not in fact correct. The Minister of State who has responsibility for this area and who has been engaging with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, is Minister Dillon, and he met representatives of the CCPC in June and has asked it to conduct an analysis of the Irish grocery retail sector with a view to determining whether there is evidence of excessive pricing. The CCPC is expected to report back in the coming weeks.

This week, we saw another example of the work of the CCPC in protecting consumers. A warning letter was issued to the motor industry. We feel the powers of the CCPC should be strengthened further. If the Deputy knows the programme for Government she will see that we committed in it to giving more powers to the CCPC. I know this has been prioritised in the Department of enterprise by Minister Burke and Ministers of State Dillon and Troy.

The measures the Government is taking are designed to reduce the cost of groceries in Ireland. However, I have to say we have a very competitive grocery sector in Ireland. We will try to ensure through Government interaction with the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission that prices are brought down and that the most competitive prices are available. We also need to recognise that people can get cheaper prices elsewhere and I urge people to engage in a competitive assessment of the prices that are available.

In terms of the proposals the Deputy puts forward, she said the Social Democrats have been advocating that we require the grocery sector to publish profits. Bring forward legislation and the Government will examine it. Obviously, there are reasons certain companies are not required to publish profits, predominantly because they are private companies that are not required to publish information such as that. If the Social Democrats believe that should be changed, bring forward legislation in terms of what should be set out in the Companies Act and the Government will give consideration to it.

It is obviously a complicated issue in terms of trying to intervene and impose obligations on certain companies that are involved in the grocery business as opposed to other companies that are involved elsewhere. It is obviously and necessarily going to be the case that whatever company their legislative proposal would engage with would have to apply across the board to all private companies.

I will speak again to the relevant Ministers in respect of this. I am aware of the profits being made in the grocery sector but the Government is working on it issue and has engaged with the CCPC and will continue to do so. If the Deputy wants a legislative change I urge her and the Social Democrats to put forward amending legislation and the Government will give consideration to it.

Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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The fact of the matter is that the Dunnes Stores operation in the North has recorded a 44% increase in profits. Let that sink in. The Minister cannot tell me what Dunnes Stores' increase in profits is in this jurisdiction because Dunnes Stores, the country's biggest supermarket chain, does not have to be transparent here.

In an interview with the Sunday Independent in July, Simon Harris said that supermarkets should publish their profits. He said, "The more transparency, the better. Why wouldn't they be transparent? What do they have to hide?". He said this just a few days after voting against the Social Democrats' motion calling for just that. The hypocrisy is staggering. The Minister and the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, are in government, so they can do more than have meetings and narrate the situation; they can intervene. They can change the law, they can empower the regulators and they can force supermarkets to publish their profits. The question is: why are they acting like a Cabinet of bystanders-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy.

Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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-----narrating the problem instead of actually doing something about it?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy. The Minister to respond.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I should point out that in order for this to happen, the law in the country has to change. The law can be changed-----

Holly Cairns (Cork South-West, Social Democrats)
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You are the Government.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The entity that changes the law is the Oireachtas. Government proposes laws and has the advantage of the majority in the Houses of the Oireachtas but there is nothing stopping Opposition parties from bringing forward legislation that they believe will change the law. Motions are-----

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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The Government voted down our proposals on this.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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-----easy to bring forward and they get covered-----

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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Why did the Government vote against it?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Deputy O'Callaghan, your leader has posed the question.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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------but the hard work is done when it comes to drafting legislation.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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Work which the Government is not doing.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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If a Member believes legislation should be introduced to change the law, they should come forward with that legislation. We need to be careful about vilifying grocers. There are a lot of grocers in Ireland that provide a lot of employment to people. Of course, they make profits. It is our job to ensure that their profits are not excessive and that we curtail them. The best way to do that is through the CCPC and engagement with the consumer protection entity. The more competition there is in the business, the more prices come down. Prices coming down benefits the consumer.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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On behalf of Independent Ireland, I wish to be associated with the remarks wishing Julie Lyons and her family the very best. I wish her a long and successful retirement and a happy future. Julie has been keeping the group of Independent Ireland well-rounded over the last number of years.

Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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That is a change of heart there.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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So it is Julie's fault, not mine.

Free primary education is guaranteed under Article 42.4 of the Constitution. Today, in my constituency of Cork North-Central and across Ireland, it is anything but free. A coalition of every majority education body, school managers, principals, teachers and staff has written to the Minister for education and the Government to say that schools are now in financial crisis. The facts are stark. An analysis of 707 schools shows that heating costs have gone up 83% since 2019. Water and refuse bills are up 51%. Utility costs have nearly doubled in expenditure from 3.3% to 6.1%. Accounting and auditing costs have gone up 58%. School management systems have gone up by a staggering 199%. This seems outrageous. The average primary school now faces a €17,000 deficit on day-to-day running costs. This is not weekly, but daily.

The Minister and his Government have increased the basic capitation grant to €224 per pupil this September but principals say the real costs of running a school are far closer to €300 per pupil. This is why this coalition of educators calling for an immediate increase to at least €299 has come together. It is also looking for supports for ICT, minor works and ancillary services. In schools in Glanmire, Ballyvolane, Mayfield, Knocknaheeny, Ballincollig, Mallow and Blarney in my constituency, and I sure across the Minister's constituency too, we have people raising funds not for extras but for essentials. They are raising funds to keep the lights and the heating on and to cover cleaning costs. Cash-strapped parents are running raffles and bake sales and are being asked for large voluntary contributions while inflation eats away at their pay packets. To my mind, that is not free education; it is a breach of the Constitution. Will the Minister commit to raise the capitation grant to €299 per child in the forthcoming budget, thereby ensuring that principals can focus on teaching instead of begging families to keep their classrooms open?

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy O'Flynn for his question. As the budget approaches, many sectors in society will be anxious to ensure their sector gets taken care of in the budget. As I am sure the Deputy will appreciate, the Government has a limited cake and that amount has to be spread out equitably across the different sectors. Regarding school funding and capitation, since 2020 schools have benefited from significant increases in capitation funding, additional teaching and SNA posts and enhanced school leadership supports. I know the Minister, Deputy McEntee, is doing her best to ensure the capitation improvement will increase. The Minister is doing a review of costs in schools to see whether we can bring them down. It is important to point out that a huge amount has been done to date and over previous budgets. Budget 2025 delivered a permanent €30 million increase in capitation funding, which was a 12% rise on current standard and enhanced rates. That was on top of the 9.2% increase secured the previous year and the Minister is anxious to see that further supports are provided in this budget. From this September, this has brought capitation to €224 per primary pupil, as the Deputy said. Of course, there are secondary pupils as well. The capitation is €386 per post-primary student, with enhanced rates for pupils with special education needs and Traveller pupils. Schools received a €45 million cost-of-living payment in November 2024 to tackle rising energy and day-to-day running costs. The Department of education works very closely with schools that are in financial difficulty. If a school is in financial difficulty, it should contact the Department of education. The financial support services unit within the Department will play a critical role in guiding schools through any financial difficulties. We have to take into account that the Government has in recent years provided free schoolbooks for children in primary schools and, indeed, in secondary schools now. That has been an extraordinary game-changer, if I can use a word that has been used with some frequency recently.

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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It is a great word.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It has been a game-changer for parents of schoolchildren. It has had a considerable role in reducing the pressures on them. I am conscious, as I know the Minister, Deputy McEntee is, that schools can face financial difficulties and that there are further financial burdens placed upon them. The capitation grant has increased, and we hope it will increase again. There are mechanisms through which schools in financial difficulty can get support by engaging with the financial support services unit within the Department. If schools in the Deputy's constituency of Cork North-Central have issues in terms of financial difficulty, I am sure they have already been in contact. If they have not, they should be in contact with the Department of education.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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I thank the Minister for his reply and his very warm words but unfortunately warm words do not heat classrooms. It is not just one Deputy raising this concern; it is an entire education community speaking with one voice. The INTO, Educate Together, school managers, Fórsa and the IPPN are all saying the same thing. They all cannot be wrong. Schools are running on a deficit and parents are trying to fill the gap. The Minister referred to the books scheme but is he aware that a number of schools have told people to buy electronic devices such as iPads or equivalent tablets, which is costing parents an additional €600? This is an expense they certainly did not see coming. That is happening throughout the country. The promises of reviews will not cover the deficit of €17,000 per school. Parents should not have to sell cakes in bake sales to keep the classroom warm and lit. I remind the Minister again-----

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Thank you Deputy O'Flynn.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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-----of the constitutional promise of free education.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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That constitutional obligation on the State is being complied with.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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It is not.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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It is being complied with-----

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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It is not.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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What about the other resources that the Deputy has not mentioned?

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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It is not. The Minister is misleading the House.

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Allow the Minister to answer.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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The Government has put €200 million into ICT in schools. The minor works programme can be availed of for the purposes of works in schools. The summer works programme, which is very popular, ensures works can be done over a short period of time while schools are out on holiday.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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Is every educator in Ireland an idiot?

Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent)
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Will the Deputy allow the Minister to answer?

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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As I stated, the free books scheme has not been mentioned by him. There is the hot meals scheme as well in schools.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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That is another disgrace.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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There are huge advantages that have been introduced into the education sector in schools by this Government and its predecessor and they need to be acknowledged by the Deputy. We acknowledge that there are schools that are under financial pressures but there is a mechanism for them to engage with the Department in respect of that. If there are schools that need to engage with the Department, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the unit in the Department will engage with them. They will provide schools with advice and support, if that support is available, to ensure the schools get through it.