Ryan to bring climate destabilisation strategy to Cabinet

Minister for Environment, Climate and Communications Eamon Ryan will tell the Cabinet that many towns and cities will have to be protected against rising sea levels as the climate destabilises.

He will also tell Cabinet that Ireland’s housing stock may have to be adapted for extremes of hot and cold.

The minister will bring the new National Adaptation Framework to the Government.

It sets out the potential implications of climate change for Ireland and outlines the national strategy for the development of adaptation measures.

Garda Reserve

Meanwhile, Minister for Justice Helen McEntee has announced a new recruitment campaign for Garda Reserves, which opens for applications today and closes on 4 July 2024.

The Garda Reserve is a volunteer service drawn from local communities.

Reserves work alongside full time gardaí performing varied work, including working alongside the Garda Road Traffic Unit, ensuring public safety during State visits, policing public order incidents, assisting with crowd control at large scale public events and supporting day-to-day community policing work.

The minister has secured Government approval for an increase in the maximum tax-free stipend to be paid to Reserve members from €1,000 per annum for over 100 hours of volunteering in a year to €3,000 for over 200 hours of volunteering.

Minister McEntee has also set a target to reach at least 1,000 Garda Reserves by 2026.

There are currently 341 serving Garda Reserve members.

Separately, Ms McEntee will also bring the airline fines review to Government.

This proposes to increase airline fines, if passengers travel into the State without a valid travel document.

The maximum fine is set to be raised from €3,000 to €5,000.

Carers grant

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys will update Cabinet on the Carer’s Support Grant which will be paid this Thursday.

Some 132,000 carers will receive the payment of €1,850 this Thursday, at a total cost of €275 million.

The grant is available to all carers providing full-time care to an older person or a person with a disability, regardless of their means or social insurance contributions.

Almost 15,000 carers are providing care for two or more people and will receive a grant in respect of each person they are caring for.