Ar dtús, ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis an gCathaoirleach and again congratulations to all the Senators elected and here this afternoon. It is a proud day for all of us, our families, my wife, Jennie, and Kitty and Stephen. We took them out of school this morning for this special occasion. It is important to have them here for such an occasion. As the Cathaoirleach is aware, I spent quite an amount of time in the ministerial chair in the Seanad during the last Dáil term, bringing forward legislation a…

There is a water action plan, which I launched a number of months ago, and it is anticipated there will be more inspections as well as funding to increase the number of inspectors at local authority level. This is about retention of the nitrates derogation. It is critically important to this country and we all can agree on that here. It is also about improving our water quality and we have a significant challenge. The farmers out there might note there is Waters of LIFE, which is a really good European innovation p…

I thank the Deputy for raising this critically important issue. The supply of public water and the provision of water services in general are matters for Uisce Éireann in the first instance. Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level. The Minister has no function regarding Uisce Éireann's specific operations although I note the points the Deputy raised about the 2025-29 plan. The Environmental Protection Agency …

I will do so. While I appreciate plans have been drawn up in the past, going back ten or 15 years, as I said the standards are such now and into the future, as the recast takes place, that the directive will be in force by the end of 2025. Member states will have to have it transposed by 2030, as far as I understand. That will create quite onerous targets in terms of not just tertiary but fourth stage treatment, which is only right. That changes the parameters in terms of assessment and the development of a new pla…

I thank Deputy Connolly. I will read the script I have been provided and then come back in with some other responses. I wrote to Deputy Connolly last week on foot of a question on policy or legislation to the Taoiseach. The supply of public water and provision of water services in general are matters for Uisce Éireann in the first instance. Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local levels. The Minister has no functio…

I will ask Uisce Éireann to investigate that. The tankering of sewage is unacceptable in this day and age. We have a way forward here in terms of the longer-term plan. I mentioned the 2025-29 investment cycle in my response to Deputy Cairns. That will be critically important. We took questions from Deputy Connolly last night on housing development in Galway. This issue will hinder housing development unless we have the adequate infrastructure that is future-proofed and meets the requirements of what will be a recas…

I have outlined the significant progress that has been made by Uisce Éireann in dealing with the deficits in Galway city and the wider area. I was not aware there were two siphons, as Deputy Connolly has said. My understanding from the response I gave the Deputy last week was that one had been addressed. We will ask Uisce Éireann.

We will ask Uisce Éireann to come back with a more comprehensive reply on that, if that is of assistance to the Deputy. The opportunity that is there in terms of the public consultation on future needs is really important. It is important that the 2025-29 capital investment cycle identifies the needs for the growth of the greater Galway area and ensures they are included in the capital investment programme. Whatever Government is here after the next election, it is critically important that the investment cycle we …

We will request that.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to bring the Seanad Electoral (University Members) (Amendment) Bill 2024 before the House. There are three main components in the Bill. First, it proposes a significant extension of the franchise for electing the six “University” members of Seanad Éireann to graduates of designated institutions of higher education in Ireland who are Irish citizens, who have received a degree from a designated institution and who are aged 18 or over. Second, it amends t…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. There is very little I can disagree with in anything they have said.

I will say the point critically here. We are at the end of a political cycle and we can see the quietness around Leinster House today. This is a three-party coalition. There is no commitment in the programme for Government on Seanad reform. It is not there. Critically from all of our perspectives, it is important as we look towards our manifestos for the upcoming general election to include provisions for meaningful Seanad reform. On the point that Deputy Howlin made about ongoing engagement around meaningful polit…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. As the Deputy is aware, the defective concrete blocks, DBC, grant scheme is neither a redress nor a compensation scheme, rather a grant scheme of last resort to enable affected homeowners to remediate homes. The scheme facilitates the remediation of existing houses that have been damaged by the use of defective concrete blocks. The construction of new separate additional houses is not grant funded. The Remediation of Dwellings Damaged by the Use of Defective Concrete Blocks Act 202…

I see what the Deputy is saying. There have been a number of cases like this. Those cases are not uniform and every homeowner has different issues. As I said in the original response, the replication of the house is a like-for-like dwelling. However, given there are significant issues involving a young disabled child, I ask that the Deputy would bring the issues forward to the Department and we can look at what way it might be addressed. I understood from the question that the disabled adaptation already existed in…

As I said, there is flexibility in terms of the footprint.

If the Deputy will furnish the details to the Department, we will look at it. That is the best way I can respond at this stage. As the Deputy said, there are serious considerations. No two cases are alike. Again, we would appreciate it if the Deputy could provide the details and we can then give consideration to it.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an cheist seo. I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 , 67 and 69 together. Supporting individuals and families facing homelessness is a priority for Government. Critical to supporting households to exit homelessness is increasing the supply of housing. Almost 12,000 new social homes were delivered in 2023, through build, acquisition and leasing, including 8,110 new-build homes, the highest level of new-build social homes in nearly 50 years. Including HAP and RAS, 21,733 social hous…

The Deputy has raised the issue in Galway city on many occasions in the Dáil in recent years. Galway City Council is the housing authority and, through the ambition of the housing strategy, will be met with funding from Government. That has been the consistent approach we have taken with all local authorities. Considerable progress is being made in addressing homelessness, particularly the work since 2022 giving us the capability to record preventions and exits separately. Quarter 4 2023 prevention figures represen…

The intention and work of the Government is to end the dependency on HAP. A total of 16,000 families have transferred from HAP to permanent accommodation solutions. That is to be noted. The Government has built more social houses in the past four and a half years than in the past 50 years. I was a member of a local authority for 16 years. I remember distinctly during that time when a decision was made to move away from the construction of local authority housing and into reliance on the private market. I believe it…

On behalf of the Minister for Justice, I give assurance to the Senator that the Minister and the whole of Government are committed to the principle that everybody should feel safe and be safe in their community. I note the issues the Senator has raised, in particular about community safety in very remote rural locations in Longford and Roscommon. The safety of people living and working in rural Ireland, including Roscommon, is a major priority for the Minister. The Government is committed, through the national deve…