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

The first question was about the TEN-T and was from Deputy Kerrane. It related to the western rail corridor. The western rail corridor is now being considered in the context of the all-island rail strategy that the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, has agreed with his counterpart in Northern Ireland. Through the shared island initiative, we have agreed to fund an overall strategic review of the all-island approach to rail. The majority of funding for infrastructure in the next ten years, be it rail or roads, will be Exchequer funding through the national development plan. I take the Deputy's point about the review that is under way involving the EU and the work on the TEN-T, but all the representatives of the west of all parties, including mine, have been very clear to us about the importance of the western rail corridor. There were earlier feasibility studies, as the Deputy will be aware, so we decided to have this as part of the broader all-island review, which is important to do.

Deputy McAuliffe raised the situation in Ballymun and the need for housing development on land owned by the local authority. I met recently with a range of community leaders and representatives of various organisations in Ballymun with him. Their presentation was very important insofar as they highlighted the enormous challenges facing the community across the board and the need for a range of initiatives to be undertaken from early education to education to employment and, in particular, to making sure we can accelerate the construction of housing on those sites. I said to the community leaders, and I would say to the Deputy and to the council involved - the city council, I think, in this instance - that they should move at all speed to develop plans and designs for those sites for housing. As I said earlier, we need supply. If we have State land available, it should be used. There should be no excuse for delay in the utilisation of State lands in the possession of local authorities. We have been asking other State agencies to provide land for realising the objectives of Housing for All. Where the council owns lands, that should be pursued.

Deputy Murnane O'Connor is a very active and persistent public representative and has pocketed one TII development with the southern relief road for Carlow and its proceeding with the preliminary business case. There are Deputies across the House who would like that news for other projects in which they are involved. I take Deputy Murnane O'Connor's point about the N24 and the N25. I am glad that the Minister for Transport is meeting with the Deputies concerned. The NDP has limits, but this is still an enormous sum and there are huge challenges in getting all of it spent in a proper way. Very significant increases are being given this year in respect of the adaptation grants. There was a lot of delay because of the Covid lockdown, but I hope we can get some progress. I hear what the Deputy says about the gaps, given the increase in the cost of materials and so on, which is leading to construction inflation.

To respond to Deputy Boyd Barrett, we have rent controls here.

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