Caít Keane (Fine Gael)
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I welcome the witnesses and their presentation. It is a very busy Department because it covers so much. Representatives of every housing agency and homelessness agency appeared before the committee yesterday. Housing is a priority for the Government and for the Department, particularly the provision of housing for the homeless. The housing plan was mentioned as well. It is necessary to have an over-arching plan for housing development, especially where the houses are needed in Dublin. Perhaps the witnesses would make a statement on that. The Minister is working on that to draw it all together and the Government is working behind the scenes. Some of us know a little about what the Department is doing but the general public has no idea that the Government is working on a housing plan and driving it forward. Information should be provided on that and how it will be dealt with.

There is also the report of the group that was established to address the issue of homelessness. More information should be forthcoming on that. The agenda is to address homelessness completely by 2016. What is the position with that?

With regard to climate change, the British have now decided that our wind energy will not be suitable for them. The reason they have given is the cost of €140 per megawatt hour. Could it be provided at a cheaper price? On virtually the same day that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued its report stating that Ireland and every country in Europe must move to renewable energy the rug was pulled from under our feet by the other side. How realistic is it to reach our targets if we cannot reach our target for wind energy? I realise we must be sensitive about where wind turbines, pylons and so forth are located, but we must reach our target by 2016. There should also be a statement on the linkages. For example, if one reduces, re-uses and recycles, and one has a free green bin and pays water charges, there is a bounce from that as one is saving the environment, but that is not coming across at all. It is all about how much one pays, there is nothing about how much one does as a citizen. Many people want to ensure that the planet survives but they are not being shown the linkage between one and the other.

The water charges issue is very topical today, but I will not ask a question about it. I have done some research on it. Ireland is the only country in Europe that is not charging for water, but nobody is saying that. Why would Ireland be the odd one out? We should show the link that if one pays for water, the return is saving on leakage and saving the environment, but that message is not getting across. It is up to the Department to convey the message that by doing one thing there is a knock-on positive effect on another.