Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. Deputy Ó Murchú raised the issue of climate action. We are making measurable progress on climate. Emissions are falling and we expect them to fall again this year. This is against the backdrop of a growing economy and increasing population. Our per capita emissions have fallen considerably in the last 20 years, but they are still not falling fast enough. In terms of what we can do on climate when it comes to all-Ireland co-operation, one area is transport. The investment in EV charging across the island is of benefit to all of us.

The decision to go to an hourly service on the Dublin-Belfast rail line is another example of such a benefit. The implementation of aspects of the all-Ireland rail review can be a benefit, too. The other area is electricity, where interconnection is so important, because we have a single grid with connections to France and Britain.

Deputy Brendan Smith spoke very eloquently on the all-island economy. I agree with him; it is real and it is growing. I do not think it should be seen as a threat to trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. It is not a case of either-or. Northern Ireland can increase its trade in both directions and with the wider world, in my view, and that is what we want to happen. The Deputy made a strong case for making sure that the central Border region is always on our agenda. We speak a lot about the north west, such as Derry and Donegal, and we speak a lot about the Dublin-Belfast economic corridor. It can be easy to forget about the huge region in between, which also has economic needs and potential.

Deputy Boyd Barrett mentioned housing and the deficit of three- and four-bedroom homes. I accept that there is a deficit of three- and four-bedroom homes in the country. There is a deficit in housing generally. The research and information show us that the greatest need and deficit is in one- and two-bedroom homes. That is a reflection of the fact that we have smaller households, many more single people and many more small families. When we make plans for housing, we should not just look at the developments that are in for planning; we have to look at the developments that are in for planning in the context of the neighbourhood and the area. There may be places where there are already many one- and two-bedroom apartments and it might make sense to have some more three- and four-bedroom homes there. There are also areas where proposals are in to build a lot of one- and two-bedroom apartments in a neighbourhood that is full of three- and four-bedroom homes. People need to look at the neighbourhood and not just the exact development that has been put forward.

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