Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The other evening I went to see "Lady Bird" featuring Saoirse Ronan. Before the film started, there was a bit of a laugh around the cinema as an advertisement was played of little balsa men and little balsa houses that looked like architects' working models on behalf of the Government for the national development plan. To be perfectly honest, I wonder when we go to the cinema why we have such trivia put in front of us, paid for by public taxpayers' money. People were just laughing at it. The bus shelters, I do not quite know how many, particularly in Dublin 7 and Dublin 15, have been somewhat taken over by the same advertisements. These are in an area where there is a lot of housing need and it is not nice. They are balsa housing units and apartments that are not there. I do not get it. I notice some of them have been removed, and perhaps the Taoiseach will tell us why. In terms of the national development plan, are we now going to have a set of mini-launches of specific areas such as one for arts and culture, which I understand is in the works as we speak?

Technically, is the Taoiseach able to say why the Government decided to remove the cap of 10% on public private partnerships which was put in place by the previous Government and has now been removed? Of the two of the big providers of public private partnerships, Carillion, is bust, gone and in liquidation, and Capita is in a great deal of difficulty. Why is the Government removing the ban when, in particular at this point in time, public financing is definitely cheaper?

See this speech in context