Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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Last month I raised with the Minister the shocking increase in the rate of homelessness and he described the position as disappointing, regrettable and concerning. The words "shocking", "shameful" and "unacceptable" are more appropriate because the latest report on homelessness is a damning indictment of Government housing policy. More than 10,000 people are now homeless and for the first time, single person homelessness has hit 5,000. There are more than 3,000 children homeless and growing up in hotels and bed and breakfasts, robbed of a secure childhood. This is happening when there are nearly 170,000 vacant homes in the State.

The Government should be scandalised by this crisis but it is clearly not. It is the same old story. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has failed and is failing; his position is increasingly untenable. What emergency measures will the Government put in place to urgently address the homelessness crisis?

Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour)
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Yesterday I raised a constituent’s story with the Taoiseach. While searching for a rented home, my constituent was invited to participate in what he described as a bidding war. The landlord was asking prospective tenants to indicate how much they were willing to pay per month in rent. I am not suggesting that is representative of all landlords by any means but this shocking example is a consequence of a broken housing system, a housing disaster as our President recently described it. My offices and those of my Labour Party colleagues are inundated with people looking for help with housing who cannot afford to get a home, who are languishing on the housing list, people facing eviction and rent increases, older people who are very frustrated because their adult children in their 20s and 30s cannot afford to move out of the parental home. Yesterday during Leaders' Questions, the Taoiseach invited me to provide suggestions from the Opposition. I am happy to give some. Will the Government incorporate our renters’ rights Bill into Government legislation and will it adopt a rent-to-buy scheme?

Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats)
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The Minister will be aware of the pressing need to develop the existing Bandon relief road. The town has been waiting years for this improvement but at the current pace, it will be years before the project is completed. It is a historic walled town with a strong community of businesses and local infrastructure. Outdoor spaces have really enhanced the area recently. However, large numbers of heavy goods vehicles and other large vehicles are being forced through the town because of the inadequacy of the relief road. That has a serious impact. The planning and design phase of the new road is due to be finished by late 2024. How much longer will it take for it to be completed? The current plans do not address the two river crossings where the traffic bottlenecks or the dangerous junction at Baxter’s Bridge and the Dunmanway Road. This project is being funded under Project Ireland 2040, which is increasingly looking like the completion date. Can the Minister reassure us that is not the case?

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Newsflash - Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council just confirmed to me in the last few minutes that there are no family placements for people who are in need of emergency accommodation anywhere in Dublin. It is the first time this has ever happened. For Niamh and Anthony, a working couple both of whom are working, and their two children who are just finishing up school this week, this is a real problem, as it is for many others. Yesterday, through no fault of their own, they were evicted by their landlord on grounds of sale. They have nowhere - and I mean nowhere - to go. What should they do? I just want to know, very simply, what the Government is going to do for them and the many others. I have 12 other cases involving people who are due to be evicted in the next few weeks, in my office alone. We need an emergency plan now to provide family accommodation for people who are homeless.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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Thank you, Deputy. We are over time.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Please do not interrupt me.

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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I ask the Minister to respond.

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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We have heard talk this morning about the housing crisis and what the President said about it. I ask the Government to consider the introduction of a VAT refund scheme for first-time buyers of new or second-hand houses. More than half the cost of building a house is indirect and much of it goes back to the State. It includes 13.5% VAT along with all the other stamp duties, fees, planning and development levies and all of that. I ask that this be introduced in addition to the help-to-buy scheme, which I hope will be retained. The important thing here is to bring in a VAT refund scheme like the one we had in previous years where the money goes back into the hands of first-time homeowners and they can pay it back over a number of years. This would help them with their mortgage.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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On Monday last, at a meeting of Cork County Council meeting, the order of business was suspended to discuss another Irish fishing industry crisis in the term of this Government. Fishing boats in Castletownbere, Union Hall and other piers in County Cork are staying tied to the pier as fishermen cannot afford to fuel their trawlers and boats. One councillor stated that he was told by a fisherman that to go out for his catch for the week would cost him €42,000 in fuel. It just did not pay. They watch French and Spanish fishermen fish in Irish waters and their governments have subsidised their fuel by 30 cent per litre through this crisis. Many fishermen have accepted that there is no future in the fishing industry. The Government promised a decommissioning fund but it has been kicked down the road continuously. Can the Minister tell me the exact date the decommissioning fund will be available to struggling fishermen?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Michael Collins for the question. I am taken by his change of approach to the decommissioning fund. He constantly opposed it in the House previously. I note he is seeking for it to be----

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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That is where the Government has led them. It is ruining their future.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I see the Deputy is supporting the fund now and seeking an early date.

Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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The Minister might answer the question. I am not supporting it.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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We are engaged with the European Commission in terms of getting approval for the scheme. I hope to have approval soon and to have the scheme up and running as quickly as possible. There is a challenging situation at the moment for fuel and the cost is impacting on fishermen. I am meeting all fisheries representative organisations next week to discuss this issue. I have been in close contact with them. The Deputy will be aware that at their request, I have introduced two three-month tie-up schemes, which have been welcomed by them, to provide income support to fisheries at a very difficult time and against the backdrop of the fuel situation. Excise duty does not apply to marine fuel and VAT can be reclaimed by fishermen. It is very much tied specifically to the price of a barrel of oil. It is challenging situation. I will be meeting fisheries representatives next week to discuss it in detail.

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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There is a large discrepancy in what childcare providers are paid per child between large and very small childcare providers. Large providers are paid more per child. Usually the opposite is the case, for example, in Department of Education capitation fees, because the more children there are in a school, the cheaper it is to heat the school, provide additional staff supports per child and so on. This significant difference has created a real risk of either corporatisation of childcare in Ireland or, at the very least, small-scale providers not being able to continue. Will that be addressed? I appreciate the matter does not fall under the Minister’s Department per sebut as the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, he has an overview of public spending on matters like this. Will it be addressed?

Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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The pharmaceutical company Vertex is manufacturing what is seen as a game-changer drug for people with cystic fibrosis, namely, Kaftrio. Unfortunately, due to a price squabble between the HSE and Vertex at the moment, there are 35 children with the F508 mutation who are omitted from that. They come in the age category of six to 11 years. This is a life or death matter. One of the families I met had a cousin who died last year and they are looking at their own son now this year waiting for this treatment. I understand that last week Vertex moved beyond the impasse of its price argument. We now need to hear something from Government that it too can meet halfway, this can be agreed and this game-changer drug can be given to these youngsters. Can the Minister offer us some words of encouragement or hope?

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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I wanted to raise again the zero-tolerance strategy published by the Government yesterday, which is the third strategy against domestic, sexual and gender-based violence. In particular, I wish to ask the Minister about the family law reform Bill and the family courts work which I hope is about to be published either before the Dáil recess or in the very early weeks of the next term. It is crucial that we stop the family court system being used by perpetrators to continue to exert coercive control over their former partners and, as Free Legal Advice Centres, FLAC, highlighted yesterday, that people have access to legal support and advice to help them deal with coercive behaviour that follows them through the court system. Can the Minister provide an update on the publication of the Bill?

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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As the Minister is the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, I have to ask him if he is aware of the misuse of public transport funding that is discriminating against regions in this country? The N2 road alongside the A5 has been considered in several Government documents and plans to be a crucial artery and economic driver for both the central, Border and the north-western regions of the country. However, unilaterally, the funding for the next phase of the Clontibret to the Border section of that scheme was withdrawn this year. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, has confirmed that will be revisited at the direction of the Government. However, it seems that nobody in government is willing to make a case. I need to know if the Minister has been examining how this money is allocated and the fact it discriminates against key regions and is actually undermining other agreed Government policy.

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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There is no public transport in the region I am talking about.

Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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This morning, new parents in Lucan were informed by letter that the public health nurse service will not be providing developmental check-ups for newborns and infants. Three-month, nine- to 11-month, 21- to 24-month and 46- to 48-month check-ups are all cancelled. The reason given is that the public health nurse service is so understaffed that other areas are being prioritised. Parents in Lucan are furious and I am absolutely furious too. This is such an important issue. Developmental check-ups are vital when it comes to picking up potential issues. It is also very important for peace of mind for new parents. Cancelling these services is totally unacceptable. It is simply not good enough. We need to resolve it as soon as possible. Can the Minister ensure that funding is put in place to make sure that if this is a resourcing issue, resources are provided to deliver these very important services to my constituents?

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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We have recently seen that the census data has been collected and reviewed this year. The population has increased, towns have grown bigger and our communities have expanded. I want to ask the Minister about An Garda Síochána numbers. Over the weekend, I met with residents in Tullow, County Carlow, who told me previously they had three sergeants and 21 gardaí. Now, there is now only one sergeant and 12 gardaí, despite the increase in Tullow's population. This is unacceptable. I will provide another example. Comparing the constituency of Carlow-Kilkenny and the constituency of Waterford, for every three gardaí in Waterford, there are only two in Carlow-Kilkenny, even though Carlow-Kilkenny has a higher population. Again, this is unacceptable. Carlow has grown so much, but the Garda manpower is not there. When will we have more recruitment and when will it take place?

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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We all know we are dealing with disastrously high rates in relation to rentals, particularly in towns such as Drogheda and Dundalk. It will hardly be a big shock that since news of the increase in the housing assistance payment, HAP, discretion level to 35% was first talked about that the local authority, namely, Louth County Council, has been inundated with calls. Can we get an actual date? We are being told it is next month, but is that the first of the month? If it is not, we need to get that information as soon as possible. I also put on the record once again that we need people in HAP tenancies to be able to go into payment plans if there is a case of arrears, because it is leading to instances of homelessness in my constituency.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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I want to ask the Minister about the carer's allowance. Will he commit to an urgent review of the carer's allowance with a view to abolishing the means test element of it? In the meantime, will the Minister and Government commit to increasing the weekly rate of carer's allowance to €325?

Our carers are really struggling, as they have been for some time. The fact they save this State €20 billion needs to be taken into consideration. If our carers are not supported, then the burden is going to come back onto the Government. We need to do this review and increase their allowance to €325 per week. Will the Minister agree to this?

David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael)
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After a very long process, the Cork County Council development plan 2022-2028 was recently adopted by the elected members. The Office of the Planning Regulator has now stepped in and recommended changes to housing density in the Carrigtwohill area. It wants very high density in a rural area. The Minister has issued draft directions to the county council and there is a process going through at the moment. Is the Minister bound at the end of the day or has he the flexibility to adhere to the recommendations made by the members in the plan? Does he have to go ahead with these very high density apartment blocks in a rural area, which in my view are unviable?

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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I presume the Minister's Department will be reviewing imminently the mid-year public capital expenditure profile. The Minister will recall that, last year, at my request, he engaged with the Fianna Fáil councillors in Cavan and Monaghan on the need to provide additional funding for the non-national road network. I would strongly urge again this year, in the event of an underspend in Departments or statutory agencies resulting in a reallocation of funding, that priority be attached to further much-needed investment in regional and local roads and laneways. A reallocation to local authorities during the summer can bring benefits to many communities and households. As the Minister knows, these roads are of the utmost importance, especially in rural Ireland. The local authorities will have the construction capacity to spend more money once they are notified in good time, and such taxpayers’ funding can be put to good use in the best interests of many communities in every county.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I refer to Private Members’ motion No. 152 on the Order Paper, which seeks the direct intervention of the Government to address a humanitarian crisis faced by eight families in the Ballagh and Lisphelim area of south Roscommon due to the increasing water level in Lough Funshinagh, a situation that is deteriorating daily due to the current heavy rainfall. The motion seeks the establishment of a cross-departmental task force to address emergency climate adaptation measures to protect homes nationwide by reforming the present legislation, without which the only option that may be open to families facing the threat of flooding, where works impact on a designated habitat, is to have the homes demolished and the families relocated. In the middle of a housing emergency, the very last thing we should be doing is demolishing homes. Will the Government commit to bringing all State players together to address the present legal impasse to flood alleviation works?

Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail)
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As the Minister well knows, a national review of specialist cardiac services has been going on on the never-never since 2019. I have in my hand a confidential briefing provided by Professor Philip Nolan and his group to others, dated 8 March 2022, which leaves a gaping wound in the north west of the country, where there is no recommendation for the provision of a cardiac catheterisation laboratory facility. To do that, in line with international best practice, when somebody has a serious incident, that person should have percutaneous coronary intervention within 90 minutes to survive. That is a physical impossibility in the north west. It used to be Fianna Fáil policy, when I was there, for the provision of a cardiac cath lab. I want to know if the Government's position will be that of Professor Philip Nolan and his review group, who seem to think people should either move closer or die, or if the Government will commit to funding immediately the provision of a cardiac catheterisation laboratory facility at Sligo University Hospital.

Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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On the same issue, during the week Deputy Harkin and I had a Topical Issue matter on the issue of a cath lab for Sligo. I know all of the Deputies in the constituency are extremely annoyed and frustrated with this situation. A private company, InHealth, was providing a two days a week mobile service, but that will be withdrawn as of tomorrow. The whole people of the north west will have no cardiac service in the region, which is a disgrace. We also have a copy of this review from Professor Philip Nolan, with the map showing where Sligo and Donegal are but with everything heading towards Galway. It simply is not possible for people in the north west who have a heart attack or a serious problem to access a service that is only in Galway or Dublin. It is unacceptable and that point needs to be clearly made to the Minister for Health. The Deputies from the area wrote to the Minister for Health seeking a meeting about this and we have not had a response yet.