I thank Deputy Doherty very much for raising this issue. The report to which the Deputy refers from the RTB is just the second such report it has published. It is the rent index report. It is good to have definitive data from the RTB in relation to rents associated with actual tenancies. That gives us some very valuable information as a Government and Oireachtas in terms of the policy framework and the decisions that we make on an ongoing basis. On the point of the RPZs, this report is very clear. The Deputy will k…

If we adopt Sinn Féin policy, the supply of new homes will fall. At the moment, we need at least €13 billion to €14 billion of capital to build in excess of 30,000 homes a year. The State is providing €4 billion to €5 billion of that. We are likely, over the period ahead, to revise upwards the housing targets in Housing For All. That will mean much more capital is needed, perhaps up to €20 billion a year, on average, over the next number of years to build the homes that we need. Sinn Féin is seeking to create an en…

The supply numbers are real numbers. Since 2020, more than 100,000 new homes have been built. More homes were delivered in four years than in the previous nine years combined, and that is the reality. Almost 33,000 homes were built in 2023. The RTB has the statutory powers it needs in the enforcement of the rent pressure zone rules. It has the powers of investigation and has been given additional resources by the Government to carry out that work. It is active in ensuring compliance with the RPZ legislation. The re…

We are not going to dismiss constructive suggestions, wherever they come from across the House because we recognise that this is a challenge. We believe we are making progress as a Government and as a country in increasing the supply of homes but we have more to do. We are never going to deny that and we are open to constructive ideas and proposals from right across the House. It is important to make the point that the targets are not a limit. The targets do not limit the amount of construction, either by the State…

Only Deputy Murphy could come into the House and seek to blame the Government for people burning down buildings. That was an outrageous contribution. He has actually made it more difficult for the Garda and our criminal justice system to secure successful prosecutions of people who are conducting criminal acts. He has not done anyone any service with the contribution he just made in that regard. We ultimately condemn any criminal act. Where properties are being deliberately set on fire, it is arson. It is a crimina…

I believe the Deputy did essentially blame the Government. He accused us of dancing to the tune of the far right.

He blamed them for burning the buildings.

He is drawing a correlation which is completely unjustified and is not defensible. If that is the way the Deputy wants to represent himself and his views in the House, so be it. I am not sure if he is suggesting that the State should provide security at every vacant building in the country. I ask him to bear in mind that some of the buildings that have been burnt down were not earmarked for international protection or for Ukrainians. The spread of misinformation and disinformation, with a small number of people sei…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I acknowledge that he had a Private Members' motion on this issue on the Order Paper this week. I understand it will now be taken next week. The Government will respond to that motion. I agree with the Deputy that SMEs are the lifeblood of towns, villages and communities. The Government values them. As the Deputy has acknowledged, the Government supported small businesses in particular to a great extent over the past number of years. We provided Government support through …

We regret any closures. We do not want to see any viable business close down. It is important to recall the context of the reduction in the VAT rate. When it first happened, it was to stimulate demand by reducing prices to drive footfall into businesses. It was continued during Covid. It was also extended in the context of the war in Ukraine and the cost-of-living pressures so many are facing. Some 14 of the 27 EU member states have a VAT rate on food services of 12% or higher. Ireland is eighth overall in that con…

That number of people on trolleys is not acceptable to the Government, to the Minister for Health or to the HSE. Looking at the overall number of people on trolleys in emergency departments, we have seen a significant improvement. That is not the case in Limerick. The Minister was in touch with Bernard Gloster, CEO of the HSE, yesterday to see what further measures could be implemented to make progress. UHL's hospital group and the hospital itself have made progress on reducing waiting lists for certain procedures.…

-----we have provided more than 1,000 extra people in one hospital since 2019 and opened 150 additional beds, including 98 in UHL itself. There is also another 96-bed block under construction and planning for a further 96 beds is under way.

The number of staff and the number of beds have increased but-----

-----that has to coincide with reforms at group level.

It is undoubtedly the case that cafés and restaurants add a great deal to the character of our cities, towns and villages. We want them to be viable and to support them. The Government has been very supportive of the sector over recent years and that has been acknowledged. Labour availability is a challenge. We have unemployment of approximately 4.5%. That is a good news story. Our country is essentially at full employment. Our colleagues in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment are constantly reviewin…

The Minister, Deputy Foley, is leading a very ambitious programme of school building. The outturn last year in respect of capital spend was that her Department spent its budget and a lot more besides. The Government came to an arrangement with the Minister to enable an acceleration of the school building programme because we recognise the importance of ensuring that school places are provided in the areas where they are most needed. Overall, the data that schools have shared with the Department of Education indicat…

The State has become much more involved in building apartments through the Land Development Agency and the Croí Cónaithe scheme brought forward by the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. I have seen a number of examples, including in my own city, of schemes happening that otherwise would not have happened, of cost-rental homes being provided and of apartments being offered for sale to owner-occupiers in addition to the full Part V legal obligation being met. As the Deputy will know, we are doing a review of the funds sector,…

To be fair to the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, to his Department and to the HSE they have put in a huge amount of work to increase the training places, working closely with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. The numbers are certainly going in the right direction. The number of doctors entering GP training has more than doubled from 120 back in 2009 to 286 last year and 350 new entrant training places are planned for this year. That has been matched with an inc…

For balance, I should point out that overall we have seen a significant reduction in the number of people on trolleys last year compared to the previous year overall across the country. What were we are witnessing in UHL is not acceptable to the Government. I spoke with the Minister for Health this morning. He has been in contact as recently as yesterday with the CEO of the HSE and they will be putting in place additional measures to address the issue. When I look at the numbers I see that this hospital alone got a…

I assure the Deputy there is no political blockage to that scheme getting up and running. The Government fully sanctioned the scheme. It is a very large scheme and will cost approximately €800 million making it the largest scheme of its type in the history of the State. It is the right thing to do and we considered it very carefully as a Government. I will ask the Minister to come back to the Deputy with a comprehensive note on the issue but I am informed that at the moment the Government is currently finalising th…