Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

I appreciate the response. One of the key things the Minister of State said was that this is to boost the delivery of new homes. The investments in Kildare North are primarily to accommodate new homes being built. My point is that investment is not being made in the social infrastructure that is required for the existing population, notwithstanding the future population. DART+ and improvements to water infrastructure are welcome but let us be real here. This is about allowing more homes to be built in Kildare. As I have said, I welcome new homes in Kildare. We need as many new homes as possible. However, what I am speaking about here is primary care centres, Garda stations and community centres. These are core elements if a society is to run properly. I have been contacted by families who cannot get a GP. There are new mums who cannot get a GP for themselves or for their children. There are serious issues in towns and villages in rural areas around Kildare but the call-out times for gardaí, through no fault of the Garda division in Kildare, are not good enough. I look at schools that are crumbling and housed in temporary accommodation. This is not good enough for the existing population, notwithstanding all these additional homes we are going to build in Kildare. We need those new homes. That is fine but if we want social cohesion and for people to live a good and normal life, we need to ensure they have the basic services they need and deserve.

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