Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will respond to questions that were put to me, beginning with Deputy Boyd Barrett. I did not answer questions about Ukraine because he did not put such questions to me. Now that he has, I will respond to that point.

With regard to property, I refer to a point I made earlier. Do I believe house price increases at the moment constitute a macroeconomic imbalance? I do not believe so because house price increases are happening in the context of a gigantic decrease in house prices since 2007. As other parts of our economy begin to strengthen, additional houses and, depending on the area, apartments will be made available to further deal with the price increases. What is the bigger cause of homelessness at the moment - a lack of housing or the increasing price of housing stock available? I believe it is a lack of housing.

An earlier point dealt with the social consequences of this crisis. I do not need to tell Deputy Boyd Barrett about the social catastrophe and the tens of thousands of people who had been working in a construction sector that got far too big. Just because we had a construction sector that was far too big in our history does not mean that an economy and a country of our size should not have a smaller and better regulated construction sector that is able to deal with housing needs of the people to whom the Deputy refers. While that is being created, I do not believe the housing market as currently constituted represents an imbalance.

On Ukraine and the contrast made with the Middle East, the European Union, through High Representative Ashton and many foreign Ministers, has been to the fore in bringing a just settlement to the Middle East. It has done all it can to support the development of the peace talks, which hopefully will pick up momentum to deal with the many issues of injustice referred to by the Deputy.

With regard to Deputy Sean Crowe's question on Cyprus, there was a discussion of Cyprus at the European Council. The view of the European Union, shared by Ireland, is that the division of Cyprus has taken place for too long. We welcome the discussions taking place and emphasise the need for more momentum. I understand the role Turkey must play in that respect. The Taoiseach joined his counterparts in emphasising our support for the UN framework and for the achievement of a successful outcome of the negotiations under way.

In terms of climate change and whether there is a focus on this at the Council meeting, the Deputy is aware that it formed a substantial part of the conclusions that emerged from the Council. Progress has been made in Europe in dealing with the climate change emissions that are causing such harm to our environment. In 2012, we saw greenhouse gas emissions decrease by 18% relative to 1990. They are expected to reduce further by between a quarter and just under a third between 2020 and 2030.

With regard to Ukraine and inclusive political arrangements, the Deputy has picked up on what I believe is one of the key concepts in the engagement of the European Union with Ukraine. This point also applies to the contributions of Deputies Clare Daly and Wallace. It is essential that an inclusive, fair and legally and legitimately elected government be elected by the people of Ukraine. Unless there is an inclusive government properly constituted under Ukrainian law, the difficulties in respect of minorities and upholding human values will become more fraught. That is why the Union has always emphasised the need for inclusive political arrangements and a democratically elected government.

On the question about Permanent TSB, the Minister for Finance can directly answer it through the Sinn Féin spokesperson on finance, Deputy Pearse Doherty. The Department of Finance will continue to work on the matter in its efforts to restore health to our banking system.

Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked about agriculture policy and whether I raise agriculture matters when representing Ireland at the General Affairs Council. I do, and did so most recently two weeks ago in respect of discussions on climate change. With regard to allegations and claims the Deputy made about the Common Agricultural Policy funding-----

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