Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)

Following the European Council meeting, there were significant issues discussed, between Ukraine, defence, the Middle East, competitiveness, climate and digital transitions, but particularly housing. Often, when we speak about housing, not only in this House but across the country, we think that it is an isolated problem in Ireland. What we are seeing is that this is a problem facing all of Europe. It is the first time that housing has featured in European Council conclusions. The Commission has been tasked with a comprehensive and ambitious housing plan. There will also be a European housing summit in 2026. We need to reflect on that as a Government but also as a Parliament, between the Dáil, Seanad and society, that the challenges we face in housing are not solely located here in Ireland. Our colleagues in Spain, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium and most other European countries are experiencing the same problems. We are seeing a huge increase in populations and we are seeing the impact of migration and the need for more housing.

The core issues that are affecting us here include affordable housing for families, young people and vulnerable people and tackling rent and the cost of rent throughout the country, particularly in more urban settings, such as Dublin, Galway and Cork. In my constituency of Kildare North, we have nearly 17,000 students and nearly the same indigenous population, as we like to call ourselves, in Maynooth.

Moving on to Ukraine, we have seen a ramping up of violence of Russia against Ukraine. There has been significant investment by the European Union in assisting Ukraine, with €177.5 billion provided to date to help it with its defence. We have seen more sanctions on Russia and a condemnation that is rightly done for the support that Russia has been getting from Iran, Belarus and indeed North Korea. We need to reaffirm our support for Ukraine. We had statements on Ukraine yesterday. It is vital that Ukraine stays at the top of the agenda, that we reiterate our support, and that our colleagues and friends in Ukraine know that they have our full support.

Another area that was dealt with was the Middle East, the need for a two-state solution in the Middle East and the US-proposed peace deal at the Sharm El Sheikh summit. While many of us are hopeful that this peace deal will progress to a stage that will allow a two-state solution, it is imperative that the funding that has been kept from the Palestinian Authority be released to it and that we start to see resolutions in that peace deal, and more aid flowing into Gaza in particular.

While we are speaking about Gaza, Sudan is starting to come into public discourse more. It is important that we speak about what is happening in Sudan. I would love to see statements here in the House on Sudan, because while what has happened in Palestine and the genocide there is truly horrific, what is happening in Sudan is also horrific. We need statements here about how the Government can support an end to violence in Sudan.

There was also discussion about European defence and security, which other member states have to grapple with. While we remain a militarily neutral country, it is important that we have our own defence capabilities, particularly with regard to subsea cables, 70% of which land in Ireland from the US on their way to Europe. We need to ensure that we can protect those core pieces of infrastructure.

I completely appreciate and believe that we should always remain a neutral country. While there is no mandate for neutrality, the will of the people is that we remain a militarily neutral country. However, that does not mean we should not invest in our defence and defensive capabilities.

It is important for rural communities that we discuss the nitrates derogation. We need to ensure that we maintain the derogation. It is an important topic for rural communities in Kildare and throughout the entire country.

While there have been a lot of positive outcomes from the meeting, what is important is that we see follow-through and progress, a point that we often hear in the House in relation to our own Government. One issue to take from what I have said today is housing. This serves as a reminder that we are not isolated when it comes to the housing issue. We sometimes think we are the only country in the world that has issues with housing. There is a genuine attempt to solve the housing crisis in this country, and the Minister, Deputy Browne, delivered his housing plan last week. I will do all I can to ensure that we deliver as much housing as possible throughout the country, particularly in Kildare North. However, as I have said time and time again in this House, we do not just have a deficit in housing. We also need the social infrastructure to go with that, such as crèches, schools, playgrounds and so on. Any housing demand needs to be looked at in the round, taking in the infrastructure deficit as well as the housing deficit.

I thank the Minister of State for his work throughout the European Union. I look forward to working with him in advance of the EU Presidency coming to Ireland next year.

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