There is a housing emergency in this State. Whatever way the Government tries to spin it, that is what we have. Whether someone is a house buyer, renter or waiting on the council to provide a house, he or she will find they face a challenging and often very long course. Limerick has seen rents increase by an astonishing 75% since 2020 and house purchase prices have increased by 44% since 2019. Many people have been on council housing waiting lists in excess of seven years. Indeed, the average house price now stands…

As my colleague said, these questions focus on when we can see a review. Does the Minister have any idea when the draft review will be done? When will the review be completed? Shannon Airport is one of the regional airports we will be championing. As the Minister knows, Shannon Airport is the gateway to the Wild Atlantic Way. It serves the mid-west region. As we have said in the past, it is the fulcrum of the prosperity that is in the area, and thousands of people are dependent on Shannon Airport. It is a fantastic…

Nobody is asking the Minister to rush the review or to do a review that would not be comprehensive, but as he knows, the last review was done ten years ago. People in the mid-west region and in Mayo and Galway are waiting for what the outcome of that review will be. Shannon Airport, as I said, has the capacity to handle 5 million passengers per year. In 2024, it serviced 2.1 million passengers and, therefore, has the capacity to grow. Four members of the Shannon International Airport Oireachtas Group are in the Cha…

The Farrelly report left an awful lot of unanswered questions. The report did not deliver for Grace or her mother. Grace was not heard. At a cost of €13.6 million, we expected clarity and demanded more answers. In a short and precise seven-sentence press release, the General Solicitor, Ms Marie-Claire Butler, whom I know the Minister recently met, said that after examining the Farrelly commission's 2,000-page report, she had concerns. She described how her office's considered and extensive submissions to the commis…

Early years education and the need for movement to a public childcare model were huge issues during the recent general election campaign. The Tánaiste referenced them multiple times as a key priority should Fine Gael be returned to government. More than 100 days after the formation of the Government, we have seen little to no movement on this key priority that was mentioned so many times by the Tánaiste. The programme for Government commits to the publication of an action plan. That is welcome but we need a date fo…

I welcome the motion, which focuses on the challenges that thousands of parents and children throughout the State face all the time. Children with additional needs and their parents have plenty of obstacles to overcome but, in this day and age, access to education should not be one of them, although, unfortunately, it is for many people. I deal with them, as do my colleagues. Education is the foundation of everything. It opens doors, minds and learning. It also encourages future learning. It is the right of every c…

The programme for Government states the Government will "Conduct a review of National Aviation Policy to maximise use of our airports". When can we expect this review to take place and conclude? Some 86% of people who fly from this State do so from Dublin Airport and for transport flights it might be even higher than that. Several weeks ago the management of Shannon Airport called for the re-examination of aviation policy and requested the passenger cap in the regional airport programme be increased. Last year, for…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. While there will be further statements on tariffs this evening, it is positive that we are holding this debate now regarding how the economies on this island, both North and South, can be protected against the impact of tariffs announced on 2 April by the President of the United States of America. The announcements on 2 April by the US are a form of economic aggression on its supposed partners and allies while simultaneously being an act of self-harm by the same co…

The Minister is clearly rattled judging by his response to the first part of the debate. We have seen what the Department suggested. The problem is that the Government has to gain the trust of the people on this issue, not ours, and it certainly does not have the public’s trust on it.

Gabh mo leithscéal, Minister, it is my time. I did not interrupt the Minister in fairness, even though he was talking utter shite. Gabh mo leithscéal. I should not have said that. People do not trust Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on this issue. They have good reason for that. The Minister spoke about Sinn Féin losing votes in the election. The Minister’s party, Fianna Fáil, and Fine Gael had the lowest vote they ever got in the history of the State. He should not be lecturing us on election results. The reason this Bil…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I thank Deputy Seamus Healy and his colleagues for bringing forward this motion. I have been in the Dáil for nine years and have been listening to speeches from housing Ministers in that time. I listened to the Minister’s speech today and, unfortunately, I do not think he was even interested in delivering it. He did not seem to believe in what he was saying. We are in a housing emergency but the Minister and the Government will not actually admit it. I wish to raise t…

I welcome the opportunity to discuss strategies we urgently need to use to divert young people from criminal activity. Children who are lured into criminal activity should still be afforded the opportunity to reach their full potential. Our young people are our future and we must invest in them. Unfortunately, some have been lured into criminality. I have seen that happen in my own city. They look around their communities and see disadvantage. They are longing for the instant material benefits a life of criminality…

I welcome the debate on this Bill, which provides for a very important and significant change to social welfare payments. It is an overdue change and one that is most welcome. I commend Mr. John O'Meara on the ruling on his case at the Supreme Court following the death of his long-term partner to whom he was not married. Ireland has changed dramatically in recent decades and mostly for the good. A huge number of families have been living in the union of love for many years but without taking that additional step of…

This is stroke politics.

My question is about local authority vacant homes, known as voids. Are there any plans for Government to increase the money allowed to each local authority per unit? It is an issue that causes concern across the State, particularly when people live next door to a local authority house that is boarded up, which can be the case for a number of years. Is the Minister of State increasing the funding per unit?

I thank the Minister of State. I am not sure I heard him correctly in respect of a limit of €11,000. Limerick council gets €11,000 per unit for each house it does up. The average cost per unit to the council is €48,000. The cost of refurbishment is a major problem, which the council cannot afford itself. We need to look at the issue clearly. Local authorities such as Limerick cannot refurbish these properties without meaningful support from central government. The current grant was not even increased in line with c…

Limerick council has done a very good job when it can, when it has the money. The process is cumbersome. They have to go through bundles; they cannot just do one but have to do a couple. It takes quite a while to come back. Many of the houses that are boarded up have only minor works to be done. While waiting for authorisation from the Department, they end up being boarded up, which costs €3,000 to €4,000. Nobody wants to live next to a house that is boarded up. It is not fair when there is family coming to visit. …

I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this motion regarding young carers. Sixty-seven thousand children - let us call them what they are - provide regular care for adults. They do so in an unpaid capacity. It is a burden young people should not have to face that impacts their development and, often, their mental health. One in four of them goes to school hungry and without food because there is simply not enough food in the house. While caring for a family member will of course impact young people more as r…

First, I thank the Minister for the opportunity to speak on this debate which is long overdue. Sinn Féin has been looking for this debate for a long time and we are finally here. It is only a few short weeks into the term of this Government and already it appears that the Government's housing plan has failed. We have a continuation of the previous Government of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and their catastrophic handling of the housing crisis. Under these two parties, we saw a record levels of homelessness, with in ex…

The changes the Minister announced to the tenant in situ scheme will make more people in Limerick homeless. The changes announced by the Minister are a mistake and should be rowed back as a matter of urgency. The scheme as it stood was working and stopped thousands from becoming homeless. It should have been expanded. It should have been further funded. It is one of the simplest ways to deliver homes for working people. Instead, the Minister has reduced funding and cut the scheme’s targets. The restrictive and puni…