Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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1. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the programme for Government. [34862/16]

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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2. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the programme for Government. [36013/16]

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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3. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on the implementation of the Programme for Government. [36051/16]

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together.

A Programme for a Partnership Government was published on 11 May and sets out a detailed set of actions to be implemented over the lifetime of the Government. The programme has one simple objective at its core, which is to make people's lives better in every part of the country. The Government is working to build society with recovery is felt by every individual and family around Ireland.

I met Ministers and Ministers of State to agree the priorities for the first year, taking into account the actions and ambitions in the programme for Government. All Departments are finalising new three-year statements of strategy as required under the Public Services Management Act 1997, which will set out the key objectives and priorities reflecting the programme for Government commitments for which they are responsible. The implementation of A Programme for a Partnership Government requires a new relationship between the Government and Oireachtas, and this is reflected in significant new Dáil reforms which are being implemented, providing a significantly greater role for members of Dáil Éireann.

Ireland is facing many challenges ahead internationally and domestically. It is important that the Government maintains a focus on managing the challenges of Brexit and ensures our continuing economic recovery is not compromised. Equally, at home much work remains to be done in areas such as housing, homelessness, education, health and rural development, and reference was made to mental health today. We are committed to tackling these challenges in order to build a society where the recovery is felt by every individual.

We have made good headway in the first six months. Some of the key issues progressed include: a new action plan for housing and homelessness; the establishment of a €200 million local infrastructure housing activation fund; an increase in rent limits under the rent supplement and housing assistant payment; the establishment of a task force on the implementation of personalised budgets for persons with disabilities; the establishment of the Citizen's Assembly; a new dedicated Cabinet committee working on a new rural action plan; the establishment of a mobile phone and broadband task force; the introduction of two weeks' paternity leave in September 2016; and the implementation of reforms to give the Oireachtas a stronger role in planning and budgets.

As well as publishing an annual report, the Government will shortly publish one of the many regular short updates on the implementation of A Programme for a Partnership Government which will be laid before the Oireachtas. As set out in the programme for Government, only a strong economy supporting people at work can pay for the services needed to create a fair society. On that note, I welcome yesterday's announcement from the CSO that unemployment has dropped to 7.5%. Continuing to focus on job creation and getting people back to work remains a top priority within the programme for Government.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Anti-Austerity Alliance)
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The executive summary of the programme for Government states: "Our approach to governing will be clearly seen in how we address the issues of housing and homelessness". On that basis, would the Taoiseach agree that the approach of the Government to governing has been a disaster? One can compare the circumstances facing people dealing with the housing and homelessness crisis now to the situation in May. There are now 249 more homeless children than in May, and the total is now almost 2,500. In total, there 539 more homeless people and 119 more homeless families living in emergency accommodation now than when the Government promised to end homelessness. The 6,700 homeless adults and children in emergency accommodation at the end of September is the equivalent of the population of a medium-sized town, slightly bigger than Ballinasloe or Bandon.

It has become normal during the term of office of the Government for families in Dublin city to spend up to two years in emergency accommodation and 12 to 15 months in South Dublin County Council. My constituency is included in South Dublin County Council, and in January 274 people were registered as homeless with the council compared to a figure of 439 in October, a 60% increase.

Would the Taoiseach agree that by that standard, the approach to governing of the Government is a disaster? The stock response from the Government over the past couple of weeks to questions like this is to herald the record levels of exits from homelessness, as the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Simon Coveney, did in a reply to a question from me last week. The only reason there is a record number of exits from homelessness is because of the record number of entries, and the number of homeless people continues to increase. It seems that the reason no progress is being made on this issue is that the Government refuses to deal with what it knows are the two main causes of homelessness, namely, rising rents and the eviction of tenants because landlords want to sell.

It is clear that the Government is not going to introduce rent controls. The Minister, Deputy Coveney, was reported as saying he will not introduce them because they would discourage developers from building new homes and that he does not want to put the dead hand of regulation on the construction sector and therefore stop any momentum that is starting in the building of more rental accommodation. If we do not break with that free-market mantra, the housing crisis will continue to deteriorate. We need State action to resolve the housing crisis, otherwise the programme for Government will be a complete failure.

Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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In fairness to the Taoiseach, this is a Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael programme for Government. The responsibility for all of the lack of delivery rests in the confidence and supply agreement. It is revealing to watch the play-acting that is going on day in and day out. The fact is that the Taoiseach is in Government as a gift from Fianna Fáil, and the electorate who are dependent on the Government doing the right thing is being failed. That is most obvious in the lack of capacity in the health system.

Can the Taoiseach confirm that the Government plans to use prefabs, as reported in the media, to relieve the pressure on our emergency services? Is the HSE about to evaluate a series of bids it received? The Taoiseach is very conscience of his constituency and as a result of his long career here of the number of schools which were given prefabs as temporary accommodation. Decades later, children are still being taught in unsuitable classrooms. Is this the future for our emergency services?

It has been reported that 34 patients over the age of 75 were left on hospital trolleys for more than 24 hours on every day of every week in the first seven months of this year. A total of 7,161 patients were left on trolleys for more than 24 hours. The Taoiseach said the figures were down today. There are 464 people on trolleys today, but what were the figures for yesterday? They were 493 yesterday and on Monday they were 400. The crisis is ongoing and the figures for trolley and overcrowding are deteriorating. There is chaos as the winter kicks in.

The programme for Government also commits that persons with disabilities shall be supported to maximise their potential by removing barriers which impact on access to services, education, work and health care. The budget announced funding of €2 million for projects that provide pre-activation supports for people with disabilities in 2017. I have been in contact with the Minister responsible every week, but so far there has been no announcement on where the €2 million is going.

I refer in particular to WALK PEER, an organisation in my constituency. Its funding will run out at Christmas. Could we get some clarification from the Taoiseach on how the €2 million will be spent and whether projects like WALK PEER will be given the appropriate level of funding to which they are entitled?

The Taoiseach said he would contact the Egyptian President following the postponement of the trial of Ibrahim Halawa for the 16th time.

We now know that 859 prisoners have been pardoned by the Egyptian Government under Article 155 of the Egyptian constitution. Will the Taoiseach tell us if he spoke to the Egyptian President? If he has not done so, will he raise the possibility of Ibrahim being released under this article?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I am also conscious of the fact that we need to leave time for the Taoiseach to reply.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The programme for Government, under the heading of "Health", states, "Efforts to increase access to safe, timely care, as close to patients’ homes as possible will be a priority". Among other things, I assume this refers to the importance of home care and the need to address its provision because the service has been savaged since 2008. There was an increase in funding in the recent budget, but I put it to the Taoiseach that it is not even close to what is required to deliver on what is claimed in the programme for Government to be a priority.

I will give the House an example. Mark O'Brien is 48 years of age and has a rare disease, CADASIL, which causes him to have multiple strokes. He is almost totally non-verbal, has severe problems walking and cannot do basic manual tasks. He is categorised as disabled, in receipt of disability allowance and lives in an adapted home. He cannot cook, clean or wash himself because of his condition. His father who is 72 years of age has the same disease. He lives in Shankill and has to travel to Dún Laoghaire on the DART every day, for which he is not really able, to look after his son because Mark has no one to look after him. I have inquired on three occasions since the summer about a home care package for Mark. The HSE has acknowledged that he needs such a package but states the home care hours budget is "at capacity" and that Mark's home care hours will be reviewed on receipt of additional funding. This is the Taoiseach's health policy. Our most recent response to our inquiry was received on 11 October. Mark is not being given by the Government the home care pacakge that he so desperately needs. How many Mark O'Briens are there? Even with the additional funding for home care packages, there are still approximately 1.5 million fewer hours than in 2008, while the elderly population has increased by 17%. We are, therefore, well short of delivering what was called "safe, timely care, as close to patients' homes as possible". That is the priority that has been given to the issue. When will Mark be given the home care package he needs? When will others like him get the packages they need?

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I disagree entirely with Deputy Paul Murphy on the housing and homelessness crisis. For the first time ever, we have a comprehensive programme, comprising five strategies, backed up by €5 billion in funding. The Deputy states rising rents and evictions by landlords are the cause, but the problem has been one of supply because of the collapse of the economy a number of years ago whidch brought ruin for so many.

The action plan on housing was published. Eight sites were located in Cork, Galway, Waterford, Clare, Kildare and Roscommon for the development of social housing, for which there was an allocation of €100 million. Tax relief for landlords who provide accommodation for tenants in receipt of social housing support has been maintained. From 1 July, the rent limits under the rent supplement and the housing assistance payment schemes were increased in both urban and rural areas to reflect local rent levels. The capacity to make discretionary enhanced payments was extended to all local authorities operating the housing assistance payment scheme. An allocation of €1.2 billion was announced in the budget for social housing programmes, a 50% increase on the figure for 2016. This funding will meet the needs of 21,000 families in 2017. Measures include the delivery of 4,450 units and supporting an additional 15,000 households through the housing assistance payment. In September details of the progress made in the homelessness pillar of the Rebuilding Ireland action plan were published. It included acceleration of the rapid build programme, expansion of the housing assistance payment to tenancies for those who were homeless and measures to increase social housing. In the budget an extra €28 million was announced for homeless services, a 40% increase on the figure for 2016. It included provision for 3,000 exits from emergency accommodation through a range of funding mechanisms.

Other things have also been happening; therefore, it has not been a disaster.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I need to stop the Taoiseach.

Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Gerry Adams stated there were 464 patients waiting on trolleys this morning. For his information, at 8 a.m. the figure was actually 387, according to my score from the special delivery unit.

I have written to the President of Egypt, to whom we have made a number of calls. The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, has spoken to the ambassador and I intend to follow up on the matter. We are supportive of the use of Egyptian Law 140 for the deportation of Ibrahim Halawa. We will pursue both lines - we will pursue the matter with the President by letter and support the use of Law 140.

Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett raised an interesting question. Some €14.5 billion is being put into the health service. More more is also available for home care packages than ever before. I do not make the decisions, but there is a simplified process in place to devise an appropriate programme to deal with the complexities of an illness such as Mark's. I will ask the Minister for Health to look into the matter and advise the Deputy.