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

There was quite a range of questions. In response to Deputy Smith's question on MetroLink, as far as I am concerned, we need to get it going. It will happen. It could be subject to delays. If there are planning delays or judicial reviews, that will delay it, but some of those issues are beyond our control and people are entitled to exercise their rights, and so on. However, we should be under no illusion that one of the biggest challenges for infrastructural projects in this country is progressing through all the various stages and so forth. The Government has made a decision to proceed with this and we will proceed with it.

In response to Deputy McDonald's question on pensions, again, the Oireachtas committee evaluated and gave its response to the report of the Commission on Pensions. We have asked the Commission on Taxation and Welfare to review the recommendations because there are recommendations in relation to PRSI and potential increases in PRSI to deal with a range of measures to improve pay-related sick pay and pensions as well. We will ask the Commission on Taxation and Welfare to give its views on that. The Government stated that six months after the publication of the report of the Commission on Pensions we would return with our views on it. There are no easy answers here. We should stop pretending that there are easy answers. The adult generation in this country needs to make sure that there is a sustainable pension system for younger generations. From what I am hearing in the House, I do not get the sense that there is really buy-in to that. I think there is a strong tendency in the Opposition to kick this down the road and to oppose any measures that would give pension sustainability, but that is the way politics works I suppose.

We are committed to fulfilling that and getting meaningful recommendations too.

As regards the points raised by Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, I fully take on board the additional costs in relation to fertiliser and ration and other issues pertaining to farming. It is challenging; there is no question about that. Again, however, we hope through other measures and other income streams we can provide that we could try to offset that. I know the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is engaging with the stakeholders in farming to address some of these issues but they are not easy. The Deputy mentioned fertiliser. I mentioned cars earlier. The increased cost of fertiliser results from the global supply chain issue and part of the gas costs issue. It is a further illustration that what is happening globally on inflation is having an impact in Ireland.

Deputy Flaherty put forward a good idea in terms of decentralisation. I would be very open to that, given remote working and the fact that I remember being involved in the decentralisation to Carlow of part of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. Almost everybody working in Carlow was from that wider region. Instead of having to commute to Dublin, they were able to work in that unit in Carlow and it made absolute sense on a whole range of issues.

The point raised by Deputy Devlin is very imaginative. We are looking at a number of imaginative ideas around transport. Public transport has to be the way of the future also. We have to increase participation on public transport and cost is a key aspect of that.

In response to Deputy Boyd Barrett, I would simply say that I do not understand why Dún Laoghaire had zero, or very few, social housing completions last year.

See this speech in context