Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach and his predecessor entered office claiming that they would implement a new approach to accountability for Ministers. In fact, the Taoiseach's predecessor said he would have annual score cards for Ministers, which never materialised. In the Taoiseach's case, we were told that he would hold Ministers to account very closely for their delivery. Has he looked at the work of all of his Ministers? Is he happy there are no issues of concern?

On specifics, despite the number of times the Taoiseach and the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, might put on a high visibility jacket, it must be acknowledged that the failure to deliver in the area of housing illustrates a lack of accountability within the Government in meeting the targets the Government set itself.

Seven or eight various schemes have been announced in the past three years and the targets outlined for all those schemes, from repair and lease to rapid build to the affordable homes loans and so on, were not reached. The bottom line is that the facts now paint a different picture from the rhetoric and soundbites emanating from the Government relating to housing, particularly the fact that homelessness is up 24% since the Taoiseach and the Minister took office last year. Child homelessness is up an astonishing 32% in the same period, with almost 1,000 more children homeless. That is unacceptable and represents a clear failure to deliver. Last November, the Taoiseach declared, "We have a plan and it's working", but since his announcement, approximately 500 more children have become homeless. Is he happy with that record?

What are his views on the progress on disability matters by the Minister of State with responsibility for the area, Deputy Finian McGrath? I particularly refer to access to therapies, respite care and mental health matters, which I outlined earlier, and the problems with CAMHS? The Minister of State at the Department for Health, Deputy Jim Daly, is responsible for home care packages so will the Taoiseach comment on the lack of any transparent assessment of needs in that area and the real crisis emerging there?

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