I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, to the House.
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Social Welfare Eligibility
I thank the Minister of State for taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection. I am grateful for the Minister's note to me to say he could not be here. I thank the Minister of State for taking his place.
There is an anomaly in the eligibility criteria for the living alone allowance. Retired teachers do not receive their pension from the Department of Social Protection. They have the same cost-of-living expenses we all face but they do not qualify for the living alone allowance because their pension is paid by the Department of education. That should be reviewed. Retired teachers still have their pension paid under the old Department of education contract. The fact they are not in receipt of a qualifying pension from the Department of Social Protection means they do not qualify for the allowance.
Many retired teachers live alone, with some being widows and others never having married. They gave the same service to the State as anybody else but the fact they do not have a qualifying pension from the Department of Social Protection makes them ineligible for the living alone allowance. I would like this to be reviewed.
I thank the Senator for raising this matter, which I am happy to take on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Calleary, who apologises for being unable to be here this morning to take it.
The living alone increase is a supplementary payment of €22 per week to those who are aged over 66, living alone and in receipt of a contributory or non-contributory State pension or a contributory bereaved partner's pension. It is also available to those aged over 66 who live alone and are in receipt of a bereaved partner's pension, an incapacity supplement under the occupational injuries benefit scheme or deserted wife's benefit. It is also paid to people aged under 66 who live alone and are in receipt of a disability allowance, invalidity pension, incapacity supplement or blind pension. The living alone increase is not a stand-alone payment. It is only available to those in receipt of one of the specified payments.
Prior to 6 April 1995, civil and public servants, including teachers, did not have access to the full range of social insurance benefits as their terms of employment protected them against the main contingencies of illness and old age, and the risk of unemployment was not considered a factor due to the nature of their employment.
Consequently, such contributors pay less in social insurance contributions in return for fewer social insurance benefits. For example, class D contributors, which includes teachers who started work before 5 April 1995, pay a contribution at a rate of 1.1% on their weekly earnings up to €1,143 and 4.2% on weekly earnings over that amount. Their employers pay a contribution of 2.55% on all employee earnings.
Class D contributors are currently entitled to a bereaved partners' contributory pension, the guardian's contributory payment, occupational injuries benefits, parent's benefit and carer's benefit. Class D contributors are not reckonable for the purpose of entitlement to a State contributory state pension. As such, a retired teacher who paid class D PRSI for their entire working life does not qualify for a State contributory pension. Therefore, a retired teacher in receipt of an occupational pension and no primary payment from the Department of Social Protection does not qualify for the living alone allowance.
Teachers recruited from 6 April 1995 play a class A social insurance contribution of 4.2% on their weekly earnings. Their employers pay a contribution of 9% where an employee's weekly earnings are €552 or less and 11.25% where their employees weekly earnings exceed that. Class A contributors have access to the full range of social insurance benefits, including the State contributory pension which is a qualifying payment for the living alone increase. The value of the State interview pension is integrated with the public service pension in the case of those recruited after 6 April 1995 and before 1 January 2013. Unlike those employed before April 1995, civil and public servants will receive their full pension entitlement under the public service pension.
There are no circumstances where the living alone increase can be paid to people who are not in receipt of a primary qualifying payment from the Department of Social protection or who do not meet the living alone eligibility criteria. Any change to the qualifying period for this payment will have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context. I thank the Senator.
Teachers nowadays will qualify for the State pension, as we heard in the Minister of State's response, but there is a small anomaly. A small cohort are affected by the issue I have raised. They still face the same rising costs. They made lower PRSI contributions in the past. However, they are living alone. They still have heating and grocery bills and other bills coming in the door. There should be a review of the system. Perhaps exceptional circumstances could be examined for this small cohort. They have the same bills as everybody else, yet do not qualify for payments. I understand it is because they paid a lower rate of PRSI. However, given the cost of living and rising costs the policy should be reviewed. I would like the Minister of State to ask the Minister to look at reviewing it.
I thank Senator Byrne. I will pass on her logic and argument for the living alone allowance for those in receipt of a teacher's pension. In my response from the Minister I laid out the background. The level of cover one receives in respect of social insurance contributions is very much tied to the contributions made over the years.
In the case of those teachers employed prior to 1995, the level of contribution they made was much lower than those employed after 1995 and that is why those employed after 1995 can qualify for the living alone allowance but the other cohort cannot. It is based on the contributions they made.
It is important to point out that further supports are available to all pensioners which do not require a person to be in receipt of a pension payment or qualifying payment. For example, the fuel allowance scheme is means tested and assists pensioners and other welfare dependent households in meeting the cost of heating during the winter season. It is available to a person aged 66 or over who is in receipt of a social welfare payment and is retired. Public teachers, for example, can qualify for that. All persons over the age of 70 can receive the household benefits package. The Senator's point concerns the living alone allowance. I will inform the Minister of the case she has made.
Road Network
I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House. It is our second time to discuss roads in Cavan. I appreciate his dedication to the cause.
An announcement for additional funding was made last week due to damage caused by Storm Chandra in January 2026. Monaghan received €900,000, which is a good thing. Roads were severely affected and the funding is badly needed. However, I cannot understand why Cavan got nothing. Did Cavan County Council apply for funding? The storm did not stop at the border. The same rain fell in Cavan. The same flooding happened. Roads were washed away, collapsed or were closed for days. Communities were cut off. Farmers could not get around. Businesses suffered. In my area people took long detours for a week when the R191 Cootehill to Bailieborough road was closed. People had to take long detours just to get to school.
The Department said that inspections carried out in March 26 found around 130 roads needed complete reconstruction, 440 had significant damage and several bridges could no longer be used. I believe those figures cover the entire country. My question is simple. How were the decisions made? What criteria were used? If Monaghan qualified for funding, why did Cavan not qualify? The people in Cavan deserve an explanation for this.
I have taken information from the Northern Sound website. The R212 Ballyhaise Road was flooded and closed. The R191 road from Cootehill to Bailieborough was impassible, closed for four days and flooded in five sections. The R552 road from Elteen to Ballyhaise was closed. The R191 Bailieborough to Kells road was impassible. Some 120 ESB customers in Bailieborough and 1,429 in Cootehill were without power. There were 1,083 customers without power in Shercock and 717 people without power in Virginia. Darley school, St. Michael's school and St. Aidan's school were closed.
The Government often talks about preparing for more extreme weather but this is what preparation looks like. It means making sure that local authorities have the funding they need when the damage is done. It is about prevention. Once this happens it will continue to happen. We want to try to stop that from happening again.
I have tabled Commencements for the Minister for Transport and he has never once come to the Chamber. I have yet to see him here. I am not saying he has not been here, but I have yet to see him. I am beginning to think it was something I said and I would not like to think that because the people of Cavan deserve to have their questions answered by the Minister. Can the Minister of State explain the criteria used in March to assess the roads and how that will look in respect of the case for further funding for Cavan?
I thank Senator O'Reilly. I have to take this on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I believe he was taking business matters in the Seanad during the week.
I assure the Senator that the Government is strongly committed to protecting our existing road network. This is demonstrated through the Department of Transport's provision of regular grant funding to eligible local authorities. Most recently, it was demonstrated through the provision of an exceptional funding response to the damage caused by Storm Chandra in several counties. Local authorities are responsible by statute for the maintenance and improvement of regional and local roads in their respective areas of responsibility. Any work undertaken on these roads is funded by the resources of the local authority concerned and, where eligible, this is supplemented by the Department of Transport's regional and local roads grant programme.
The initial selection and prioritisation of work to be funded is a matter for the local authorities.
Regional and local roads play a critical role in supporting economic activity and community links. As a result, the regional and local roads grant programme is primarily targeted at the maintenance and renewal of our existing roads network, with the remainder invested in new roads, new bridges and road realignments. The funds available through this programme have been steadily increasing in recent years. For 2026, €718 million was made available, which will facilitate an increase of €26 million for road protection and renewal across the country.
The grant programme operated by the Department is focused on specific policy objectives. Restoration maintenance grants look to pavement sealing to protect the road surface from water damage. Restoration improvement grants look to road strengthening to lengthen the life of road pavements. The discretionary grants available allow for a range of activities, including pothole repair, edge strengthening, renewal of signs and lines, and winter maintenance. These three grant programmes account for most of the funding available.
The basis for determining the allocations for each local authority under this grant programme is related to the total number of kilometres of regional and local roads, which is held to be the most equitable method of distribution. For 2026, the allocations were notified to local authorities on 17 February. Cavan County Council was allocated over €19 million, with most of this funding directed towards protection and renewal. In addition, in previous years, Cavan County Council received funding for several pilot projects relating to road materials.
It should be noted that Exchequer funding for regional and local roads is intended to supplement realistic contributions from local authorities’ own resources. As the statutory road authorities for their areas, it is open to local authorities to prioritise own-resource investment towards regional and local roads.
Following consultation by the Department of Transport with each local authority, detailed applications were received by those authorities with severe weather road damage following Storm Chandra. No significant damage from Storm Chandra was identified and notified to the Department by Cavan County Council. Owing to the damage caused by Storm Chandra and remediation being beyond the ability of some local authorities to fund, on 1 July, the Minister for Transport announced the provision of €40 million in exceptional funding to those counties with the most significant storm damage.
I thank the Minister of State for his response, but he did not clarify what criteria were used. He said that no significant damage from Storm Chandra had been identified and notified to the Department. Was an application for funding made to the Department by Cavan County Council or was it just that the application was not strong enough? On the website, the Department of Transport says that it assessed the roads. Was it the council or the Department that assessed the roads?
I still do not believe that the people in Cavan understand why they were left out, because I do not understand it. They saw the roads. I saw the roads. Some were closed for days. People know that the damage was done. If the assessments suggest that Cavan does not qualify, people are entitled to know why. They are entitled to know what criteria were used and how these decisions were reached. This is not about taking funding away from any other county that is well deserving of funding. It is about why Cavan, which also suffered serious damage, was left with nothing.
I spoke about one of the main thoroughfares in the county, the road from Bailieborough to Cootehill. The road was impassable in five areas and had to be closed. In one of the places where there was a flooding incident, a sinkhole developed. It cost over €100,000 for the council to fix that, and the money had to be taken out of ordinary roads funding.
I cannot understand this. These roads do not fix themselves. The money has to come from somewhere and, usually, it comes from future road improvement funding. I believe we were badly treated.
The response that I am giving on behalf of the Department of Transport outlines that the Department opened up for detailed applications from local authorities with severe weather road damage following the storm, and no significant damage from Storm Chandra was identified and notified to the Department by Cavan County Council. That is the response and the detail that I have. Funding of €40 million was announced to support projects across the country where remediation proved beyond the ability of some local authorities to fund. In relation to the applications received, I can only imagine that the Department would have assessed them in detail as to the scale and impact, and whether the capacity to fund the repair of that damage was beyond the councils within the other resources they had available to them.
I will ask the Department if there is further information on the nature of any notification from Cavan County Council, and whether it was the case that it did not meet the threshold of being significant in the context of considering it against other applications that were received, and also in the context of there being a certain envelope to address that issue. I am not sure if the Senator has any information on what applications may have been made by Cavan County Council or otherwise.
I understand that an application was made. That is why I am asking for the detail of the criteria, and what criteria were meant to be met. I ask the Minister of State to find out if the Department could look at this issue again.
I will inform the Department that the Senator is asking for more clarity on the nature of the application that was made and the criteria used to assess the funding allocations. I will ask the Department to revert to her on that.
The Minister of State is an expert on Cavan roads at this stage.
Human Rights
In September 2025, the European Union signed the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with Indonesia. It is an agreement with an estimated value of €27 billion in trade between the European Union and Indonesia. I want to raise with the Minister of State a concern regarding the issue of West Papua. West Papua comprises the western half of the island of New Guinea, and it borders Papua New Guinea to the east. It has been governed by Indonesia since it was invaded in the 1960s, with over 500,000 people killed since then in military operations.
Since Indonesian control was established, there has been consistent and fierce resistance by the native population. The legitimacy of its rule is claimed by Indonesia through a widely condemned sham referendum, known as the Act of Free Choice, in 1969, where Indonesia itself selected over 1,000 voters and decided they would vote on the future of the entire territory, with the threat of force hanging over it. Since that sham referendum, human rights abuses in West Papua have been rampant, with the killing and torture of the civilian population, a crackdown on freedom of speech and expression, a complete lockdown on international journalists entering the territory, which is one of the reasons it gets so little attention, and the taking of political prisoners among those who show support for the West Papuan cause. The Indonesian army continues to act with impunity, denying civil liberties and respect for the indigenous peoples of West Papua.
Within the text of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, there is language that reaffirms that the signatories of the agreement are obliged to be committed to human rights and have regard for the principles articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, the agreement does not set out any actionable or enforceable conditions tied to market access to make sure that human rights abuses are not happening. Those abuses continue.
In 2022, a UN report indicated that between April and November 2021, allegations of several instances of extrajudicial killings, including of young children, enforced disappearance, torture and inhumane treatment and forced displacement of at least 5,000 indigenous Papuans by the security forces were received. The report in question estimates that the overall number of displaced individuals could range from 60,000 to 100,000 people. There is a very clear disconnect between what has been agreed by diplomats in the European Union and on the Indonesian side and what is actually taking place on the ground. As of June 2026, more than 125,000 people remain internally displaced in West Papua due to armed conflict and military operations. There are consistent reports. I get weekly updates on extrajudicial killings and the Indonesian security forces' active displacement of entire villages and populations in an effort to intimidate and silence any dissent, or even any reporting of what is happening in this territory.
The European Union is claiming that human rights are part of what it does. It is putting this language into its agreements. We know, sadly, that it is not delivering on that language in terms of Israel and Gaza, as we have seen. As a minimum, it should be learning that when it is bringing in new agreements, it should be a little more robust regarding how the human rights component will be addressed. I would ask that before this new agreement comes to be enacted, which is due to happen during Ireland's EU Presidency, for which we have claimed values will be a central pillar, for a comprehensive human rights review and audit into the situation in West Papua ahead of the scheduled ratification of this EU-Indonesia agreement in early 2027, when our Presidency comes to a close. We need to get ahead of these human rights issues and make sure that they are centrally audited and accounted for prior to tying ourselves into yet further complicity with human rights abuses.
I am responding on behalf of the Minister responsible for trade, Deputy McEntee, who is very supportive of free trade agreements, FTAs, and partnership agreements generally, particularly this one with Indonesia for the opportunity it presents to both sides to deepen our bilateral economic relationship, to which the Senator alluded. Indeed, at the most recent Government trade forum, the Minister specifically referenced the Indonesia agreement as one we would like to advance during our Presidency.
The EU-Indonesia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, CEPA, was concluded, as the Senator said, in September 2025 after nine years of negotiation. As we can see, there was comprehensive negotiation about that agreement for that period. As the Senator knows, the agreement requires consent from the European Parliament and ratification by both the Council of the EU and Indonesia’s legislature before it can enter into force, targeted for 2027. I hear what she is saying and will relay the concerns she has articulated clearly.
It is important to say that in parallel to the negotiations, the Commission commissioned a sustainability impact assessment, SIA, of the CEPA between the EU and Indonesia. The SIA concluded that the EU-Indonesia agreement was expected to have positive impacts for both parties and their societies. In the context of the SIA and throughout the negotiations, the Commission provided the possibility for civil society organisations to have their voices heard, ask questions and contribute to a sound, evidence-based and transparent societal debate, including through dedicated civil society dialogues, a workshop with local stakeholders in Indonesia, bilateral meetings, interviews and web-based surveys. Furthermore, during the negotiations - which, as I said, have been ongoing for nine years - and in line with its transparency policy the Commission has published on its website, and regularly updated, reports on the negotiating rounds, the text proposals, press releases, facts sheets and background information materials to ensure that the public is kept up to date on developments. If member states or EU civil society representatives consider that trade and sustainable development, TSD, commitments in trade agreements are being infringed, they may lodge a TSD complaint with the single entry point. The Commission services will examine the allegations and consider the most appropriate course of action in that respect. It will remain in close contact with the complainant throughout the process.
In 2022, the Commission presented updated operating guidelines for the single entry point, making it easier for civil society to lodge complaints regarding violations of sustainability commitments with timelines included. There are also domestic advisory groups, DAGs, which are civil society bodies advising on the implementation of trade agreements. Since 2011, every FTA signed by the EU with a partner country or group of countries establishes these DAGs.
I will continue my response in my next contribution.
What is missing from the Minister of State's response, with respect, is any reference to West Papua. There was reference to NGOs. I have described the fact that this is a place where there is no journalism and where anybody who takes any political activism is killed or disappeared. They are not coming to meetings in Jakarta on human rights ideals or issues in Indonesia because Indonesia is occupying and repressing them. It is like putting it on Gazan NGOs. The obligation is not on civil societies to put in complaints. The obligation is on due diligence for those who are setting out to make the agreement. It is almost the same flip that they have tried to do on corporate sustainability, to make it the job of NGOs to do due diligence around corporate sustainability. There is a job of due diligence. As the Minister of State mentioned, the Council will be deciding on this during Ireland's Presidency. It is crucial that there is a focus on this. Those mechanisms are not mechanisms that work for persons who are repressed. We do not hear about West Papua, and there is a reason for that.
I have given the Minister of State details of the very few UN reports available. The UN has been trying to get access to West Papua. There is a report from 2021. During the nine years of negotiation, we have UN reports about extrajudicial killings. With respect, saying that we have a mechanism is not the same as saying that we are taking action. That is why if Ireland has a values-led Presidency of the European Union, it needs to do more than point arrows to different mechanisms. Ireland should be demanding proper action in respect of these issues. Ireland should be demanding human rights reviews and should be leading on this. I want to hear what Ireland is going to do.
Human rights are particularly important to Ireland, both at home and abroad. We consider human rights carefully when entering negotiations on new agreements. We have been carefully monitoring the human rights situation in West Papua and the Irish embassy in Jakarta engages on human rights in Indonesia both bilaterally and with the EU delegation to Indonesia and EU member states. The embassy works closely with the UN and international NGOs. The embassy also actively engages with NGO partners, providing funding through Irish Aid to country micro project schemes.
I must say, and the Senator will accept, that human rights remain at the heart of our foreign policy. Ireland will continue to be a strong and consistent voice for human rights, inclusion and partnership. That does not negate what the Senator said. I have heard her comments and understand where they are coming from. I will bring them and her very strong concerns to the attention of the Minister.
It would be much easier to take action now when a unanimous vote is required for this to pass. That is particularly the case when we consider the situation in which we find ourselves whereby we need a unanimous vote to get out of the agreement we have with Israel.
Let us get it right before we get into it. This is the point of leverage right now.
Departmental Strategies
The Minister of State, Deputy Harkin, is very welcome to the Chamber this morning.
I welcome Ireland's first national financial literacy strategy and the recent publication of the first annual review and action plan for the period 2026 to 2027. It is a comprehensive piece of work and demonstrates that the Government recognises that financial literacy is no longer simply about understanding money. It is about consumer protection, financial literacy and confidence throughout every stage of people's lives.
I also welcome the progress being made, as outlined in the review. More than 170,000 students have participated in financial literacy programmes. Financial literacy is now being embedded in the new primary mathematics curriculum, and the action plan rightly places increased emphasis on fraud awareness, pensions and financial well-being. Those are significant achievements and deserve to be recognised. However, one statistic in the strategy stood out to me more than any other: 43% of Irish adults do not meet the OECD minimum standard for financial literacy. Even more concerning, 44% do not meet the minimum standard for digital financial literacy. That means almost half of adults may not have the confidence or knowledge to safely navigate an increasingly digital financial world. While Ireland performs well internationally, those figures clearly show that there is still much work to be done.
As Fine Gael spokesperson on education and youth in the Seanad, I particularly welcome the strategy's recognition that financial literacy should begin early and that there are opportunities to strengthen it within the school curriculum, particularly through mathematics. We need to be ambitious about this. Every young person leaving secondary education should understand budgeting, taxation, savings, borrowing, mortgages, pensions, investing, consumer rights and, increasingly, how to recognise financial scams. While these may not be priorities for young people at this stage of their lives, they are life skills.
I have previously raised the issue of online fraud in this House. I believe the strategy can become one of the strongest tools in tackling it. Criminals are becoming more sophisticated every day. Artificial intelligence, cloned voices and highly convincing impersonation scams are now part of everyday life and are affecting everybody. No amount of legislation will prevent every fraud and no bank will stop every scam, but every person who understands the warning signs before clicking a link, transferring money or sharing personal information is one less opportunity for fraudsters to succeed. Every person who becomes more financially literate is one less opportunity for unscrupulous individuals to exploit. That is why improving financial literacy is not simply an education policy or a consumer protection policy; it is also one of the most effective fraud-prevention measures available to us.
The foundations have now been put in place. We have the strategy and the action plan. We have more than 100 actions. There are governance structures and funding in place. The question now is not whether we have enough ideas; it is whether we can increase the pace of delivery. The strategy recognises that there are already 55 stakeholders delivering around 110 financial literacy initiatives across Ireland. Its purpose is to support, co-ordinate and build on that excellent work rather than duplicate it.
My ask today is a practical one. Will the Minister ensure that the financial literacy executive board, the steering group and the annual stakeholder forum will actively identify organisations already delivering successful financial literacy programmes, evaluate what is working, share best practice nationally and support those initiatives to reach more people more quickly? Rather than reinventing the wheel, let us harness the expertise that already exists. Let us bring together schools, credit unions, employers, community organisations and charities, identify what is working, avoid duplication and accelerate delivery. That is exactly the collaborative approach envisaged in the strategy itself.
I thank the Senator very much for raising this issue. Financial literacy is an essential life skill and an important component of financial consumer protection, as the Senator clearly outlined. It does not just mean that individuals have financial knowledge; it also means that they have the skills, attitudes and behaviours necessary to manage their money well.
The national financial literacy strategy, as the Senator knows, was launched in 2025. Its mission is to improve levels of financial literacy across Ireland and, by doing so, improve individual financial well-being and resilience. This is a five-year stakeholder-led strategy. It has the aim of working with Ireland's vibrant financial literacy ecosystem to improve co-ordination, collaboration and cohesion in delivery.
The Senator asked specifically about measurable progress in delivering on this vision. He mentioned figures of 44% and 43%. I had a quick look at the report and noted he is right about those. It is also true to say, however, that Ireland performs well when it comes to financial literacy. In fact, we are placed second among all the EU countries in the OECD report whose statistics the Senator mentioned. Of course, our level is not good enough and we have an awful lot more to do, but equally, and having regard to what our peers are doing, the figures show we are making genuine progress.
The Senator asked about the ongoing work to support financial literacy through the strategy. Last month, the strategy's 2025 review and action plan were published. They highlighted some of the successes that have taken place. For example, there were over 55,000 individual in-person engagements with financial literacy programmes by adults and nearly 170,000 individual engagements with financial literacy programmes by students.
Looking forward, there are more than 100 actions in the 2026-27 action plan. These cover areas such as digital financial literacy, understanding credit, managing debt, retail investor education, SME financial literacy and, as the Senator mentioned, fraud, including scams. On 10 June, the Tánaiste joined 65 stakeholders from across the financial literacy ecosystem to discuss how we could build on those successes and advance the strategy's mission. Among the building blocks is an initiative of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, the statutory body with responsibility for financial education. It has developed and launched a new set of money tools on its website, providing free and impartial financial information to support consumers to compare financial products and make the best financial decisions for their needs. The Department of Social Protection has supported consumer and employer understanding of auto-enrolment through awareness-raising. The Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS, delivered 185 money-management education events right across Ireland, reaching almost 5,000 people. Investment education will be one of the focuses of the strategy for the next 18 months, alongside the development of the new investment account.
The Senator also mentioned fraud, including scams. Only in the last week, somebody I know very well came very close to having their accounts cleared. This is an intelligent person who has been using banking systems for a long time. Had that person been asked whether they would ever be caught, they would have said no. The telephone calls sounded so reasonable and so normal. When asked how the weather was in Dublin, the caller was actually able to respond, even though the call did not come from Dublin.
There is a lot of education needed, and individuals need to know that every single one of us, including the Senator and me, can be caught. Therefore, care is essential.
I thank the Minister of State for her detailed answer. I acknowledge the progress that has been made and our position in second place, but as she said herself, we need to avoid complacency. The Central Bank reported last year that €160 million worth of fraudulent payments were made in Ireland in 2024 alone.
That is a 24.5% increase on the previous year, while the volume of fraud increases by 40%. That message is replicated by what I hear from gardaí all across the country as well.
In my own county of Roscommon, a company called Linked Wellbeing has developed a financial well-being platform that improves financial confidence through education, practical budgeting tools and signposting of trusted public services. It is one example of the innovation that already exists in Ireland and demonstrates that many of the solutions we need are already being developed on the ground.
I agree with the Tánaiste's comments at the launch of the action plan that our ambition must be greater still. Our financial lives are changing faster than ever before. Auto-enrolment, as the Minister of State said herself, is transforming how people save for retirement. Banking is increasingly digital. Investment opportunities are becoming more accessible. Fraud is becoming more sophisticated. If those changes continue - and they will - then the need for financial literacy will only become greater. That is why I believe the pace of implementation should match the pace at which people's financial lives are changing, so that every person in Ireland has the confidence, knowledge and skills to make informed financial decisions throughout every stage of their lives.
I thank the Senator. I do not disagree with a word he said, in particular in respect of auto-enrolment. That is transforming retirement for many people in the future. It is a hugely important initiative. Equally, the Senator is talking about information when it comes to financial decisions that people make. He also mentioned there was €160 million in fraudulent payments last year and that is increasing.
This is not in my prepared reply but one of the ways we can perhaps try to manage that is to make sure there is enough publicity around the ways people can get into your mind. If you answer your phone and a person says someone is trying to use your card in Berlin, London, New York or Kilkenny to purchase an item, your automatic reaction is, "No, that is not me" and then you try to stop it with the person who is speaking to you, whereas the person who is speaking to you is almost certainly the person who is trying to defraud you. That kind of education is really important. Even people who think they know what they are dealing with still get caught time and time again. I know some of those people.
There is a lot of really good work going on in this area but, equally, we just need that little bit more so that people are not caught on the hop. People who think they know how to manage their financial affairs are sometimes the ones who are most vulnerable.
Cuireadh an Seanad ar fionraí ar 10.23 a.m. agus cuireadh tús leis arís ar 10.32 a.m.
Sitting suspended at 10.23 a.m. and resumed at 10.32 a.m.