Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will start with that point. I will certainly ensure there is continued engagement with the Northern Ireland Executive. Members of our Government have already had bilateral meetings with the Ministers, Conor Murphy and Caoimhe Archibald. We will continue that engagement.

We also want to see the Narrow Water bridge come in on time and on budget. Louth County Council is overseeing that process. I particularly commend the chief executive, who has put her shoulder to the wheel over a very long period to deliver this project. I look forward to seeing it finally delivered.

On the clean water issue, which Deputy Barry raises with me on a very regular basis, the points he makes are real, valid and worrying for people. I will personally ask Uisce Éireann's chief executive for a timeline in that regard and will personally come back to the Deputy on the matter. I can only imagine the frustration of his constituents in the situations he has outlined. Arising from our previous engagements in the House, I have raised the matter but I will personally ask for a timeline and seek an update from the Tánaiste before coming back to the Deputy.

To respond to Deputy Murphy, I have not yet read the Central Bank report on the issue of vacant office space but I will now that he has brought it to my attention. We are in the business of trying to see how vacant office space can be repurposed for IPAS and the likes, where appropriate. There are some examples of that already. I will be very clear on the position on tents. The only rationale behind our removal of tents - I do not like using that phrase and should perhaps say "removing people from tents" - is to move them to safer accommodation with better sanitation and humanitarian situations than they are now encountering.

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