Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)

Is iontach é sin a cloisteáil, i ndáiríre, mar bhí an bhuairt ann nach raibh cainteanna ag dul ar aghaidh. Mar sin, cuirim fáilte roimh sin, ar a laghad. It is great that those engagements have taken place and I thank the Minister of State for his answer and for detailing the level of engagement and the issues that have been discussed by the Minister with the Department of housing. There are two big pieces of work under way in the Minister's Department in the successor to Our Rural Future and the Government's housing plan. Forgive me for being cynical, but I think most people would have a fairly sceptical approach to these plans, particularly on the housing side, given the failure to action any of the proposals contained in them. It is really important that those two plans would, at the very least, be conversant with each other and would have joint sets of objectives, key metrics and key actions that have very specific timelines to them. This would ensure that the two Ministers and their officials can keep tabs on it and that those of us on this side of the House can ensure progress is happening. These are existential issues both for na ceantair Gaeltachta and for so many rural communities across this country.

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