Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach his plans to review and extend A Programme for a Partnership Government. [38644/18]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach his plans to extend and renew A Programme for a Partnership Government. [39678/18]

Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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6. To ask the Taoiseach if he will report on his plans to review A Programme for a Partnership Government. [39725/18]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 8, inclusive, together.

A Programme for a Partnership Government was agreed in May 2016 during the formation of the Government. It is a five-year programme of work being undertaken for the duration of the present Dáil. The Government publishes progress reports on the programme each year, the second of which was approved by Cabinet in May 2018 and is published on my Department's website. This report reflects the significant work undertaken by all Government Departments to deliver progress across a wide range of issues, including housing and homelessness, education, health and rural development.

There is more work to be done. The experience of the past two years means it is now reasonable to chart an ambitious path for the remaining three years of the current Dáil. That path is about ensuring that, to the greatest extent possible, every citizen is enabled to achieve his or her full potential and every part of the country benefits from our prosperity. We will continue to work towards improving access to our health services; increasing the supply of affordable housing; planning for Brexit; generating quality employment; driving justice and policing reform; continuing the progress that has been made in education; and much more besides.

As for specific commitments on defence policy, the Government is committed to building and maintaining defence capabilities. Progress continues to be made on defence-related commitments in the programme for Government, mainly through the White Paper on Defence. More than half the 88 projects identified for implementation in the White Paper on Defence will have either commenced or been completed by the end of this year. These include efforts to restore the Defence Forces to full strength in personnel terms, increase female participation and support veterans. Crucially, they also involve a massive investment in equipment and improvement of facilities. This is being progressed at present, with some €35 million worth of infrastructure projects now at various stages of implementation. In addition, there is a commitment in respect of new vessels and aircraft.

The Government will continue its work over its lifetime to strengthen our economy and to ensure that all citizens benefit.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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There was a very public exchange of letters between the Taoiseach and the leader of Fianna Fáil over the summer about extending the existing confidence and supply arrangements between their parties. The Taoiseach lost a Deputy this week. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil have a threshold agreed between them for maintaining the Government. The Taoiseach has also lost a member of the Independent Alliance, part of the coalition that supports the Government, which adds a certain fragility to the Government's existence. Has he opened negotiations with the Independent Alliance on the extension of this programme and, if not, does he intend to do so? Second, since all we know from the exchange of letters between the Taoiseach and the leader of Fianna Fáil is what is in the public domain, do they have an agreed timeframe by which they will sit down and negotiate an extension of the current arrangements, or is it intended to have such a discussion?

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Regarding the programme for Government and the commitments the Taoiseach and his Government made, the Taoiseach cannot deny that there are serious crises in health, housing and the whole area of tax justice and fairness. In health, for instance, the Department of Health now reliably appears to be at least €600 million over budget, having in each of the past number of years got substantial infusions of cash. It feels like no one in the Government is in charge of health. Regarding housing, a plumber married to someone like a self-employed hairdresser with a reasonably good business and perhaps a joint income of €80,000 or €90,000 cannot get an affordable house. Where they can get perhaps a second-hand house, the loan levels in the Taoiseach's and my constituency for a modest but well-built house, as he knows, are now reaching approximately €400,000 because land is changing hands at ten to 15 times what it was just a few years ago. Again, the Government simply seems adrift.

On tax justice and fairness, we have had the Comptroller and Auditor General's report of last week indicating that several hundred high net worth individuals, with assets of €50 million - I ask the Taoiseach to think how many €400,000 houses they could commit to - are paying roughly the same in tax as a family on an income of anywhere from €40,000 to €70,000.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy. She is well over time.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Is this not a programme for Government that is in total disarray?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Taoiseach will not be able to answer if Deputy Burton does not abbreviate her questions.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I understand Fianna Fáil has an arrangement with Fine Gael, but it does not seem to be able to bring much influence to bear.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Next week we will debate budget 2019. It is, like all budgets, a matter of choices, and those choices have been made. We in Sinn Féin are firmly of the view that we need to make next week's budget a housing budget. If the Government or its partners in Fianna Fáil are serious about tackling the housing and homelessness crisis, this is what must happen. This means, as a key measure, doubling capital investment in social and affordable housing, as Sinn Féin proposes. Government expenditure on social housing for next year is projected at €1.3 billion, with a target of 7,410 social houses. This is a drop in the ocean given the scale of the crisis and when compared with what is needed. It is necessary to increase this expenditure by a further €1 billion. This would deliver an additional 2,850 social homes, which would bring the total number of social housing units delivered in 2009 to 10,260, as was recommended by the Oireachtas Committee on Housing and Homelessness.

Another area which requires substantial investment is affordable housing. The Government has not delivered one affordable home in three years and has no affordable housing targets for next year either. We would deliver 4,630 affordable homes, of which 1,435 would be cost-rental and more than 3,000 affordable sale.

We would also introduce measures to curb rents, which are out of control, as the Taoiseach knows fine well. It is now time to accept that the Government's rent pressure zone legislation is not working either.

That is what we are proposing - the introduction of a temporary tax relief for renters in tandem with a three-year emergency rent freeze. These are just some of the measures we are proposing, but the Taoiseach knows that because he is aware of them, despite the fact that he says repeatedly that we have no solutions. We are putting forward these solutions. Given the dismal failure of Rebuilding Ireland, if the Taoiseach is genuinely concerned about solving the housing crisis, will he accept and implement some of these proposals?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputies very much for their questions. The confidence and supply agreement is an agreement between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. It has no expiry date as such but it has always been understood to last three budgets. The budget is taking place next week. There is also provision for a review before the end of this year, and we are now very much into the fourth quarter of this year. That is where it stands at the moment. I promise to update Deputies in due course should there be any change. The agreement between Fine Gael, the Independent Alliance, and the Ministers, Deputies Naughten and Zappone, is the programme for Government. That is a five-year programme and that stands. Therefore it does not require renegotiation, or certainly not at this stage.

It is true to say that the Department of Health is running several million euros over budget, but it is also worth recognising that is happening for a reason. It is because recruitment is happening at a great pace across our health service. There are approximately 1,000 extra nurses working in our public health service this year-----

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Is the Taoiseach saying the recruitment was not budgeted for?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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-----in comparison with last year. There are more doctors working in our public health service than ever before. Pay restoration is happening across the public service for more than 100,000 people. All those things cost money.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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They are all budgeted for.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Waiting times are falling. There has been a significant fall in the number of people waiting for angiograms or for operations or procedures on hips, eyes, knees, cataracts and skin lesions. The number has fallen by more than 10,000 since this time last year. The average patient is now waiting less than six months for those operations.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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It is because money is being spent-----

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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-----on the National Treatment Purchase Fund and other things, including both insourcing and outsourcing.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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That is privatising a public resource.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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That is having a result. Free GP care has also been extended to carers because carers need to be cared for too. Medical cards are now a right for children with profound disabilities who are in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance regardless of their parents' income. That was resisted in the past but this Government decided to do it. Additional hospital beds are also being provided. I note that HSE numbers indicate that in every month this year from May onwards-----

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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So the budget is only indicative.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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-----there have been fewer people waiting on trolleys. The nurses' figures suggest that was true last month, but not for the other months. Certainly hundreds of people fewer were spending time on trolleys this summer compared with last. These are among the reasons the Department of Health is running over budget.

On tax, it is important to give the full picture. The Comptroller and Auditor General acknowledges that Ireland's tax system is one of the most progressive in the world. Those on the lowest incomes pay least and those on higher incomes pay most. That is as it should be.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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That is not what the Comptroller and Auditor General said at all.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Approximately 30% of people, those on the lowest incomes, pay no income tax at all. He says that it is certainly not fundamentally flawed but that it does give rise to issues around so-called high-worth individuals. The Government is going to examine loopholes and reliefs to see what we can do to close any legal loopholes that are being abused or to take away reliefs that are allowing people not to pay their fair share of tax. It is important to acknowledge, however, as the Comptroller and Auditor General does, that some of these high-worth individuals are not resident in the country. It is possible to own property in Ireland and not pay income tax. I suspect Mr. Trump, who owns a hotel and golf course in Doonbeg, does not pay income tax in Ireland-----

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Nor does he pay it anywhere else by the looks of it.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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-----because he makes his income in the US. There would be many examples of people-----

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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That is just one obvious example of someone who owns property or has wealth in Ireland and who does not pay income tax here because he does not earn any income in Ireland and lives in a different country. He earns his income elsewhere. It is important that we not be misleading about these things.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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He is not resident in Ireland anyway. That is a ridiculous example.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There is also a difference between wealth and income. It is possible to own land or a business that is worth many billions of euro and not derive-----

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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The Taoiseach is talking about people who are not tax resident here.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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-----an income-----

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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They have no tax applications here other than on income arising. That is ridiculous.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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The Taoiseach is out of time, we need to move to Question No. 9.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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No, we cannot.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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If we keep interrupting the Taoiseach-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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There are constant interruptions.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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He is not answering the questions.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We are moving on to Question No. 9.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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He gave us an absurd suggestion about President Trump.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We are moving to Question No. 9.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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This is absurd and bizarre.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I do take issue with those comments. We touched on this earlier. I am not deliberately avoiding answering questions. The Ceann Comhairle has written to us all and asked us to keep to time. I am obeying his-----

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We will have to organise a course in-----

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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We have to know how this works.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Absolutely, but-----

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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He did not answer any questions on housing.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We are consuming time out of the next block of questions.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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I know some of this is parliamentary pantomime from the Opposition.

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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That is just shocking.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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To say that I go off on tangents in my answers-----

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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All any reasonable person has to do is look at the questions that are put to me and then look at the tangents that other people go off on.

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Housing? Health? Tax justice?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The Deputies are only accusing me of doing things they do themselves.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Can we deal with Question No. 9?

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The public deserve a better quality of accountability than they are getting.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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They deserve answers.

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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That is not down to me. It is down to poor Opposition.