Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for being present and I thank him and his team for their commitment to resolving the housing crisis. It is about maximising delivery, fast-tracking progress and accelerating actions because of the urgency of the accommodation shortage. Those are the words of the Minister and I wish to highlight them because there has been a lot of talk about words and how much they matter, but so too do actions. We can see actions and the breadth of what has been happening in his Department in recent years.

I have questions on local government, Irish Water and housing. As regards local government, it is great to see additional funding going in to support local authorities. It has been a very difficult time. How much funding is there for extra resources for housing delivery and planning permissions? We spoke about additional resources going into each local authority. South Dublin County Council, the local authority in my area, was due to get such resources. It is a little off topic, but does the Minister have any information on recruitment in that regard? A number of local authorities that appeared before the committee spoke about the difficulty in retaining and attracting talent.

My next question also relates to local government. It is probably a little premature - excuse the pun - for this year, but is there provision for maternity leave for councillors for this year or will that be provided for in the 2023 budget? If the Minister has that figure, I would be interested to see it.

It is great to see funding provided in respect of rising energy costs, which are a significant challenge facing local authorities across the country. Does that funding to assist with rising energy costs relate to council-specific public buildings, given that the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has already announced funding for sports clubs, community centres and parish halls?

As regards Irish Water and the capital expenditure project for a new Dublin reservoir in Saggart, is additional funding provided for that project in the Revised Estimates? If so, is that to combat cost increases?

On housing, it is good to hear that the Department has such a strong pipeline for delivery of housing for the end of the year. It is often the case that there is a rush to complete projects and get things finalised towards the end of the year. The fact that there is such a strong delivery forecast is very welcome. I appreciate that the Minister cannot give too many more details, but any additional information he can provide on that would be very comforting to hear.

The capital acquisition scheme funding that is going into approved housing bodies, AHBs, is very welcome. I presume it will concentrate primarily on social housing. Is there anything there in terms of cost rental? I will take the opportunity to speak on affordable housing. For my constituents in Dublin Mid-West, the young couples and individuals whom I represent in Lucan, Clondalkin, Palmerstown and other villages, affordable housing is where it is at. They want to see what the pipeline is in our local area because they want to be able to purchase there. I know that is something to which the Minister and the Government are committed. I ask him to outline what is in that for those constituents of mine.