Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome Commissioner McGrath back to the House. I also welcome the women's Shankill group who are here with us in Leinster House. They are very welcome here today.

Dearbhaíonn figiúirí ón mBord um Thionóntachtaí Cónaithe inniu an rud atá ar eolas ag tionóntaí cheana féin. Is é sin go bhfuil cíosanna as smacht agus iad ar siúl suas 5% arís le bliain anuas. Is polasaithe an Rialtais atá freagrach as seo. Today's Residential Tenancies Board figures confirm what renters already know and that is that rents are out of control and it is the Government's policies that are responsible. This is not something abstract. I spoke to a couple last week who are renting. They both have good jobs. The plan was simple. They were going to save hard, buy their own home and one day start a family here in Ireland. However, they could not take the rent increases any more and they knew more were coming. Last week, they were left with no other option but to move back into his parent's homes, back into his childhood bedroom. Now their plan has changed. Their plan now is to save money, book flights and head to Australia. This couple are 26 and 27 years of age. This is what non-stop rip-off rents have done to their future and it is a direct result of Government policies over decades that have driven this rent crisis to boiling point.

This crisis has now resulted in 5,400 eviction notices being issued in the last quarter alone. The Government's policies are not getting young people out of boxrooms; it is putting them back into them. In the past year alone, both new and existing rents have risen by 5% across the State. In some counties, the increases have been truly shocking. In Leitrim rents are up 16%, in Carlow they are up 15% and in Longford the are up 14%. The average new rent in this State is now €20,000 a year. In Dublin, the picture is even more brutal. The average new rent in Dublin stands at €27,000 a year.

This is not an accident. This is the direct result of Fine Gael's approach to housing and to renters, letting the market run wild, protecting profits and abandoning ordinary people. Average rents were less than €1,000 when the Tánaiste became a Minister and took up his position in Cabinet. Now, they are nearly double that. That means that people are now having to pay over €9,000 more a year in rent than when he took office, and almost €10,000 more a year in Dublin for new rents.

The Government is going to make matters worse. From March of next year, tens of thousands of renters will see their rent reset to the very top of the market. For some, this will mean a doubling of the rent. How high is the Tánaiste willing to let rents go before he intervenes? Is it €3,000 a month? Is it €4,000 or maybe €5,000? What is his cut-off point? Young people cannot take this pressure any longer. The Government is pricing them out of homes, out of family life and out of their futures. What did renters get in this year's budget? They did not get the promise the Tánaiste made to them that the Government would increase the renter's tax credit. They did not get that but landlords are going to get an increase. They will get €1,000 tax break next year. Workers get no tax cut at all but developers get €250 million of a tax break for apartments that are already under construction. Once again, the Government made clear political choices. It chose landlords and developers over renters.

Our position is clear and simple. The Government needs to end the rip-off. It needs to get rents under control and it is needs to make housing affordable. That means cutting rents and freezing any further rent increases for the next three years to give renters breathing space and to stop this relentless upward spiral.

Here is the question: is the Government going to finally act by cutting rents and introducing a real and meaningful three-year rent freeze - yes or no - or is it going to continue with Fine Gael's failed approach that has already driven rents through the roof? While the Tánaiste sits at the Cabinet table, rents have gone up, on average, by €1,000 a month to the point that it costs €27,000 for a new tenant in this capital. It is shameful.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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First, I join with colleagues in welcoming our former colleague, Ireland's friend and our Commissioner in the European Union, Commissioner McGrath, and thank him for the job he is doing in the European Commission on crucial areas at this time. I also join with Deputy Doherty in welcoming the group from the Shankill Shared Women's Centre to the Public Gallery. I thank him for the important work he is doing also.

On behalf of Deputies right across this Chamber and the people of Ireland, I send our solidarity and support to the people of Hong Kong and to all of the families affected by the horrific apartment block fire last night. It was truly devastating and is deeply disturbing. We think of all of those impacted at this very difficult time.

There is a kind of rhythm to Deputy Doherty's questions these days, whereby he selectively quotes from publications that have just come out. He may not have had a chance to fully read it yet, but the RTB report out this morning does show something that he chose not to share with Dáil Éireann or with renters, which is that the ESRI's individual property level analysis shows that 62% of properties nationally saw no change in rent year on year. That number is up by 4.8 percentage points compared with the previous year. We have a real challenge in terms of housing - indeed it is an emergency - but we are now seeing a situation where the number of rental properties not seeing an increase has increased further on last year and now stands-----

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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The law will change in March.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Deputy Gould should hang on a second and give me a chance. It now stands at 62% of properties, which affects more than six out of ten people. It also finds the benefit of the rent pressure zones because it finds that, where rents have increased, it is disproportionately in areas not covered by rent pressure zones.

Deputy Doherty likes to talk a lot about what has happened since the election. What has happened since the election is that this Government that was re-elected and reformed took a decision to extend nationwide the rent property zones, including, in the Deputy's own county, Carndonagh, Buncrana, Lifford, Letterkenny, Milford, Glenties and Donegal town, areas that were not covered by rent pressure zones until we brought in those measures in recent times. I have no doubt that is also going to provide much assistance and protection.

I accept we are seeing a churn in terms of landlords coming into the market and landlords leaving the market, but we are actually also seeing more tenancies than before. Nationally, approved housing bodies have seen their registered tendencies grow year on year and quarter on quarter. Private tenancies have also grown annually to 240,751. In Dublin, an area where there is often particularly acute housing pressure, registered private tenancies rose by 4.3% annually to 108,174.

Deputy Doherty says his position on rent and rental protections is clear. I am not sure it is because I genuinely do not know today whether or not Sinn Féin supports rent pressure zones. Deputy Ó Broin did not support them. He said Sinn Féin would get rid of them and replace them with a reference system that the Housing Agency and the ESRI, both independent of Government, said would not work. They said it would be extremely complicated and it would not work. I believe it would have actually pushed up people's rent. Yet, I heard Deputy Doherty's leader say on national radio that scrapping RPZs would remove the only modest protection. I am not sure if that is discontent within the Sinn Féin party. Is Eoin telling the truth or is Mary Lou telling the truth? Which is the policy of Sinn Féin when it comes to renters?

Deputy Doherty mentioned the rent tax credit. When this Government was returned to office, the rent tax credit was due to expire. We took a decision not just to increase it for a year but to increase it and keep it there for the next three years. It was going to go to zero euro and zero cent until we took the decision to put hundreds of millions of euro of taxpayers' money into the rent tax credit. Sinn Féin's position when it comes to rent pressure zones is truly Jekyll and Hyde stuff. We are bringing in a series of rental protections. I want people listening into this debate to know that on 10 June, we brought in a series of new rights and protections for both new and existing tenants-----

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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The rents are going up though.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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-----including ending no-fault evictions for larger landlords with four or more tenancies, and bringing in rent controls and extending them nationally through the RPZs for the first time ever, from 20 June. We are already seeing the benefit of that. There is a housing emergency, but there are some signs of encouragement in terms of the number of properties now that are not seeing an increase in rents this year. That is up on last year.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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It will be gone in March.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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In his heart of hearts, does the Tánaiste believe that is the case for young people who are listening to him? The couple I was speaking to last week, a 26-year-old and a 27-year-old, are back in the box room of their family homes, back in their childhood bedrooms. They were supposed to build a house, start a family and live here in Ireland but they are heading to Australia. The Tánaiste is trying to deny the reality that is out there. The RTB is very clear. Rents are going up. They have gone up over €1,000 in the last year. New rents and existing rents have gone up. Every year since the Tánaiste has been in the Cabinet, rents have gone up by an average of €1,000. They are the bare facts, not my facts but those of the RTB, which has told us very clearly that renters have to find €9,000 more for the average rent now since he took office in the Cabinet. In Dublin they have to find €10,000 more. Does the Tánaiste think it is appropriate that new renters have to pay €27,000 a year in rent in Dublin? Our position is very clear - ban rent increases.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Stop filling the pockets of landlords.

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The Tánaiste should maybe tell the truth. Fine Gael made a solemn promise to the public that if they got re-elected, they would increase the renter's tax credit. They broke that promise, like so many others, because Simon says-----

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank Deputy Doherty.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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-----on one hand and Simon does on the other hand. The election is over and Simon does not care. He has prioritised landlords and developers and he has abandoned renters.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Doherty should conclude.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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That is the reality of it. Every year, rents are going up and the Government has no plan to fix it. Indeed, it is going to make it worse because it is going to allow landlords to reset the rents right across the board in March next year. It is appalling. That is why young people have decided to abandon this country in search of a different future.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Would Deputy Doherty allow the Tánaiste to respond, please?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I will take the same latitude on the clock as well.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Of course you will.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Thank you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I do not understand a Sinn Féin policy that opposes every single support for small landlords to try to keep them in the market and then ones to make sure we have more rental properties available. How does Sinn Féin wish to have rental properties without landlords, yet it demonises small landlords across this country and opposes every single measure?

Deputies:

Hear, hear.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Mom and pop landlords - people in my constituency and Deputy Doherty's - who rent out one or two properties are demonised. We need them to stay in the market. Deputy Doherty wants to drive them out and increase rental property. It does not make sense. It is probably why he is celebrating his 15th anniversary as the Opposition spokesperson on finance. Five finance Ministers later, he is still sitting in the same seat because the people of Ireland do not trust him when it comes to the economy. They know the angry jack-in-the-box routine does not build homes.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Does the Government build homes? Seriously.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Order, please.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Fourteen years. The Tánaiste fairly put his foot in that one.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Angry Pearse.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Take your foot out of your mouth.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Order, please.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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In the extra time available to me that was available to Deputy Doherty, can I point out there is only party in this House that receives very significant financial funding from builders and construction companies?

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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Fine Gael. Thanks for admitting it, fair play to you.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The published accounts of Friends of Sinn Féin in the United States of America show that of its €366,000 in donations-----

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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What about the renters?

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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They are back in the box room.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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-----the bulk of them came from construction companies and builders. Do you know where the biggest donation from?

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Order, please.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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It came from one construction company in America that gave Sinn Féin $20,000. Sinn Féin tells the young people of Ireland it is on the side of the working people and Mary Lou-----

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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This is the lack of substance from our new finance Minister.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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-----flies out to America to take the dollars from the big businesses, big companies and big builders.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Order, please.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Sinn Féin is the party that takes big money from big American building companies. Deputy Doherty is a hypocrite.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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The Tánaiste has got his time.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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I am sure even Michael McGrath is blushing up there.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Funny boy, Pearse.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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At this embarrassment from a finance Minister.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Funny boy, Pearse. Happy anniversary.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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Order, please.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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Has the Tánaiste nothing to say to the renters of Ireland?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Fifteen years of shouting and roaring, offering nothing positive to anybody. That is you, Pearse. Happy anniversary.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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The renter's tax break would not exist if it was not for me.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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When the two of you are ready, we can continue.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I call Deputy Cian O'Callaghan.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The rent tax credit and RPZs are benefiting people in Donegal for the first time ever. You are welcome.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputies very much.

Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
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It will be gone in March. Does the Tánaiste not understand the legislation?

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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I reassure the Tánaiste and anybody else in the House that where they interrupt and the clock goes on, I am fair in relation to compensating on the other side.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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You are very fair.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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It is very difficult at times-----

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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You can say that again.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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-----because, well, the show goes on. I call Deputy Cian O'Callaghan.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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I join others in welcoming the group from the Shankill Shared Women's Centre. It is great to see them. I welcome also Commissioner McGrath. I join the Tánaiste in saying our thoughts are with all those affected by the devastating fire in Hong Kong.

The cost-of-living crisis may have ended for Fine Gael but for ordinary families it is getting worse day by day. Food, heating, electricity, rents and college fees are all more expensive than they were last year. The CSO found recently that food prices alone are up 4.5% in the past 12 months. People are paying more, getting less and wondering how they will stretch their wages to the end of the week. Everybody outside of the Government can see what is happening. The fact the Tánaiste cannot see it is astonishing, so let me spell it out for him.

Pricewatch compared 25 supermarket staples over three years. In 2022, a basket of everyday items cost €87. The same basket now costs a whopping €135. That is a 55% jump in just three years. The price of bread is up, the price of eggs has increased by 50% and chicken has more than doubled in price. These are not luxuries; they are basics. Ireland now has the second highest prices in the eurozone, 12% above the EU average. Families are being fleeced.

The skyrocketing cost of food is not just visible in euro and percentages. We can see it in the stress and anxiety etched into people's faces when they are at the supermarket till. People are wondering how much further they can stretch their pay packets. What was once the simple routine of the weekly shop has now turned into a painful choice between essentials, between putting food on the table and heating the home. Impossible choices are being faced daily.

The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC, and the Central Bank have found that food prices are increasing way beyond the costs of producing food. In other words, price gouging is taking place. Somewhere along the supply chain, someone is pocketing the difference and people are left to carry the burden. We have a food regulator whose job it is to shine a light on this but the Tánaiste's Government has tied its hands. Right now, it can only ask for information. It cannot compel supermarkets or processors to hand over data. Dunnes Stores has already refused to co-operate with the regulator's investigation on the price of eggs, fruit and vegetables. The regulator's chair, Mr. Joe Healy, has pleaded with the Government for stronger powers since last year. He is still waiting. Families are still waiting. We in the Social Democrats are not prepared to wait any longer. My colleague, Deputy Jennifer Whitmore, will be bringing forward a Bill to give the regulator the power it needs. I urge the Government to support this Bill.

Parents are eating less and skipping meals so their children can eat. Pensioners are cutting back on heating and living in fear of the weekly shop. They deserve answers and transparency. Will the Government stop protecting profiteers and start protecting the public? When will the food regulator be given the powers it needs to stop price gouging?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Deputy. I am very much aware that the cost-of-living crisis is still real for very many families across the country. The Deputy has asked me a specific question, so I am going to spend the time on it. I do want to acknowledge that and I also want outline why the Government has taken a number of measures to protect the most vulnerable, including a very significant increase in the working family payment, an expansion of the fuel allowance and the permanent reduction of the VAT rate on energy bills. There is also the fact the Christmas bonus, which is paid to pensioners and people with disabilities, factually the most vulnerable people from an income point of view, will also be paid in the coming days. I know this makes a real difference to people at this time.

The Deputy has asked a very specific question. I acknowledge the work of my constituency colleague, Deputy Whitmore, in relation to this issue as well. As the Deputy said, an independent Agri-Food Regulator was established back in 2023 under the Agricultural and Food Supply Chain Act 2023. It has two key functions. One function is to enforce the law on unfair trading practices while the other is to perform price and market analysis and reporting functions. The Agri-Food Regulator has reported to my colleague, the Minister for agriculture, Deputy Heydon, that it does require more enhanced powers to compel businesses to provide information not in the public domain. I believe this relates specifically to the price and market analysis function. The Deputy referenced some examples where there has been a real challenge or inability to do that so far. The regulator does already have extensive powers to compel information when pursuing complaints under unfair trade and practices legislation but this aspect is more about the broader price and market analysis element as well.

Before I talk about expanding the powers of the regulator's office, I should also acknowledge that it has successfully secured a conviction under the Act. I acknowledge the regulator's work in relation to that. I know the Minister, Deputy Heydon, is fully committed to ensuring the regulator is equipped with the necessary powers to fulfil its statutory function. He has had to go through a consultative and now a legislative process. This is required to ensure the additional powers granted are proportionate. This is somewhat novel, and I only mean novel in a legal sense in terms of trying to get this right, seeking legal advice and making sure whatever we put in place stands up to the scrutiny of the law.

I know the Department of the Minister, Deputy Heydon, has engaged with key stakeholders in the supply chain, whether these are representatives of farm bodies, industry, retail, Departments, State agencies and, of course, the Agri-Food Regulator himself as part of a detailed consultative process. There has been legal scrutiny now of a draft statutory instrument. As I said, the legislation is novel. It does exceed the requirements under European law. That is not a reason not to do it but it does. Therefore, it is essential that anything we do does stand up to robust legal scrutiny.

I am pleased to assure Deputy O'Callaghan today that the process to deliver on this commitment is significantly advanced. I understand that my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Heydon, expects to be in a position to sign that draft statutory instrument in the coming weeks and no doubt will engage constructively with the Social Democrats and Deputy Whitmore on their proposals.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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The food regulator asked for these powers over a year ago. Why is it taking the Government so long to give it the powers it needs to do its job? When we go into a supermarket, we see people at the checkout not being able to buy items and having to return them or leaving the supermarket stressed and worried about how they are going to meet their other bills during the week. This has gone on for well over a year without the Tánaiste's Government acting. Is the Government going to sign these extra powers in this year? Is it going to happen in the next couple of weeks in this year? Will the Tánaiste give us the detail on this? Are all the powers the food regulator needs to compel supermarkets, processors and anyone else in the supply chain to hand over the data required going to be in place to allow it to do its job? Are all those powers going to be in place in the next couple of weeks? Why has the Government delayed on this? Will the food regulator get the full powers? Will the food regulator now start going after price gouging? There is clear evidence of price gouging and profiteering taking place and of food prices increasing way above input prices. When is the Government actually going to act on price gouging?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I tried to largely agree with the Deputy on this occasion too. I accept it has taken a period of time since the regulator said it needed these new powers to get to this point we are at today where we have a draft statutory instrument. I would genuinely point out that those reasons are valid because this is a novel area. We are going beyond the requirement under European law. What we do has to be proportionate. We want to avoid any unintended consequences. In fairness, I know the Deputy wants to avoid that too. There is a whole supply chain here and we need to consult with all parts of it, including with representatives of the farming bodies, industry, retail and relevant Government Departments. We have increased the budget and the Minister, Deputy Heydon, secured this funding for the Agri-Food Regulator in the last budget, which enables it to prepare for and begin the process in terms of those new significant powers and hire the staff necessary to implement them. It is our expectation that this should be signed by the end of the year but I do want to give the Minister the space just to get this right. He is certainly working to try to get this done in a very short period of time. He will engage and keep in touch with the Deputy and his party colleagues on this matter.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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Yesterday, we had the publication of the National Development Plan Review 2025 - Securing Ireland’s Future Sectoral Investment Plan: Transport. A number of bypasses are needed in County Laois but it looks like the whole county was bypassed for funding. The Tánaiste was down there this week last year, exactly 52 weeks ago, canvassing for the general election. Huge housing developments are needed in Laois. There has been rapid population growth in the county. It has been one of the top three counties in terms of population growth in the last three years. There is huge pent-up demand for housing and for infrastructure but we cannot have the housing without the infrastructure. Throughout the county, there is a need for roads, water services, wastewater services, sewerage services and electricity services to be expanded. The national development plan review published yesterday has approximately €202 billion in capital funding between now and 2030. On 22 July, the Tánaiste said we were prioritising investment in water, energy and transport and laying the groundwork for 300,000 new homes. That is 50,000 a year. The Government will not be able to do it. It prioritised Laois but I will come back to that.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has set out in its recent national planning framework document the projected need for 1,244 additional houses per annum in County Laois, on top of what is already being provided. This is a huge expansion in population. A 35% increase in population over the next nine years is what is being projected. This comes on top of five years of very rapid growth. As I said, the county is in the top three in terms of population expansion. Now, the local authorities are being asked to zone huge tracts of land. Without it being serviced, this land will be useless. People will have to get in and out by helicopter because there will not be roads. The infrastructure is required or it will stall these housing projects. It is not possible to build 1,200 or 1,300 houses per year unless these projects go ahead.

The roads that are critically needed are the Portlaoise northern orbital route and the Mountmellick relief road, which is critical, as the Tánaiste saw himself when he was down last year. To open up all that land, particularly across the north and west of Portlaoise, the northern orbital route is required. Water services need to be expanded according to Uisce Éireann and the document I have here. All the red lines in this document show where they are needed throughout the county. Graiguecullen, Borris-in-Ossory, Ballinakill, The Swan and Timahoe need wastewater improvements, while Portarlington, Durrow, Mountrath, Stradbally, Rathdowney and Ballylinan need expansion in water supply. It is critical that we have this infrastructure for the council and private developers to be able to provide the housing.

Will the Tánaiste go back to the drawing board with this review and ensure that Laois receives some funding, particularly for the Portlaoise northern orbital route and the Mountmellick relief road but also for the expansion of wastewater and water services? We cannot have houses unless we have services. It cannot be done. We also need to relieve the congestion on the N80, and that can only be done by the Mountmellick relief road and the northern orbital route in Portlaoise.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Stanley for raising these matters. I was indeed in Laois canvassing during the election. I was delighted that my new colleague, Deputy Willie Aird, joined the Deputy in Dáil Éireann.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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There were big promises made.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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They are promises that Deputy Aird is going to keep and he will work with the Deputy constructively in relation to that as well because we have a lot of work we need to do to deliver for the people of Laois and the midlands. The Deputy makes constructive and fair points. We obviously have to put the infrastructure in place to enable the housing capacity to be delivered. That is a statement of fact.

What the Deputy saw yesterday was another piece of the jigsaw in terms of approval for a sectoral investment plan for transport under the national development plan, NDP. This is a very significant increase with regard to a number of projects. We will be in a position to deliver approximately €9.7 billion in investment in roads, protecting and renewing existing roads, delivering many new national road projects, trying to mitigate seasonal and climate-related impacts, rolling out electric vehicle, EV, charging infrastructure and delivering new strategic regional roads.

The Minister for Transport was at pains to say yesterday and on many other occasions - the Ministers of State, Deputies Buttimer and Canney, are here with us also - that this list is not exhaustive. It lists a number of projects that will be delivered. There will also be an annual Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, capital plan and we expect that plan to come early in the new year. There will also be opportunities, specifically in relation to the housing point, to look at how we can work with the likes of the housing activation office. I see this in my constituency where, if key infrastructure is funded through the housing activation office or other structures, it opens up opportunities to develop and deliver further housing supply and crucial infrastructure.

I know that when you publish a list it very quickly becomes about not just what is on the list but what is not on it. That is why I know the Minister for Transport, while welcoming the sectoral investment plan, was clear, as is all of the Government, that this is not exhaustive but it is about moving forward with some degree of clarity. There will be many further opportunities, including in relation to the TII capital plan. We will work very constructively with Laois Deputies in this House and also with the local authority.

Specifically on the issue of water and wastewater, my officials in the Department of Finance met with Uisce Éireann last week, or in the last couple of days anyway. I am certainly very satisfied from my conversations that capital funding is not now the constraint in relation to Uisce Éireann. We have provided Uisce Éireann with billions of euro in additional funding. The capacity constraint here is the planning and regulatory systems and how we can actually get things done more quickly. I will work constructively in relation to the water and wastewater projects that are needed in Laois. I also look forward to next February when the rules change to finally bring a bit of common sense and allow developers on small-scale or relatively small-scale housing developments to put in their own wastewater infrastructure. I believe this will open up huge housing opportunities in many rural towns and villages. I am happy to continue to engage and I will send on the specific projects the Deputy referenced to the relevant Ministers.

Brian Stanley (Laois, Independent)
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I thank the Tánaiste. There is no point in the Department of local government, under the Minister, Deputy James Browne, publishing lists like this and projecting huge growth for a county unless the infrastructure goes in along with it. I did not mention the need for health centres, schools - the courthouse in Portlaoise as well, by the way - and many other things, such as flood relief schemes, that are needed in the county. If we are going to have sustainable development, we have to take transport into account. At the moment, with regard to the N80, trucks from the west and everywhere else have to wind their way through the narrow streets of Mountmellick and around the junction at Pearse Street, Patrick Street and Market Square, which the Tánaiste saw for himself. In Portlaoise, they have to go in under the railway bridge, which they sometimes get caught under, and in by the roundabout in the centre of the town. The road from the Mountmellick Road across has to be connected with the motorway on the north-eastern side of Portlaoise.

I appeal to the Tánaiste to go back to the drawing board with this. I heard him say there may be other measures to come. There is a list on the back page of this document and, as he knows, when something is not listed on that, it is going to be a battle to do it. I ask the Tánaiste to make sure that happens and that the promises made before the election are kept.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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They certainly will be. When I look at the budget that was introduced just across the Irish Sea yesterday, I am very thankful to be the Minister for Finance in a country where we are able to dramatically increase our capital investment. That did not happen by accident; it happened due to the hard work and ingenuity of the Irish people. It also happened as a result of the policies that my party, Fianna Fáil and others have delivered in government over the past several years, which have resulted in us being able to run budget surpluses, put money into future funds, increase our social welfare payments to look after pensioners, older people, carers and people with a disability, and make real differences in regard to public services too.

I note that in the Deputy's second question he expanded, understandably so, the area of projects across his county to other areas, as is appropriate. We have taken a decision to roll out a series of investment plans so there will be, in the coming days, a number of further capital plan announcements in relation to health and disability and, today, in relation to childcare. There is a very significant amount in public capital funding for State-led public childcare. This is something I talked about a lot in the election and we are determined to deliver it. We will keep in touch on Laois.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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The greater Dublin region is grinding to a halt. If you stand on any bridge on the M50 in the morning and look north or south, a stationary line of cars stretches out as far as the eye can see. The cost of congestion is going to reach €1.5 billion by 2040. Dublin is ranked the worst capital in Europe in terms of time and money wasted because of traffic congestion. Incredibly, studies show that the average speed of a car is now 12 km/h. That is slower than the horse-drawn carriages of the 19th century, believe it or not.

Hundreds of thousands of people in this region are living in a commuter hell. Many parents are leaving before 6 a.m. and are not back until 7 p.m. in the evening. They are lucky if they get time to even put their kids to bed. I have no doubt this is leading to the anxiety that many children are experiencing because they are separated from their families for so long. Volunteerism is also dying in many of the commuter hell areas because people have so little energy when they come back from their commute to be able to help in community activities.

Traffic congestion in the greater Dublin area is grinding people down. A return journey for tens of thousands of people in Meath is taking four and a half hours daily, and it is approaching five hours. If we think about it, that is 20 hours a week commuting for a 40-hour working week. Meath is the biggest commuter county in the country, the only county in the country where the majority of workers leave the county every day to go to work. There are 90,000 commuters, 60,000 of whom are forced to use cars because of the lack of public transport. Navan is the biggest town in the country without a rail line.

In 1994, Fianna Fáil's Noel Dempsey promised to build the rail line from Navan to Dublin. Now, Deputy Aisling Dempsey, his daughter, is promising the rail line. The promise is now intergenerational. It is incredible. The current delivery, from concept to completion, is 42 years. That means that a person starting work in their early 20s, when it was announced, will have retired and be drawing the pension before it is actually delivered. In 1862, the same rail line was built in a matter of three years with picks and shovels.

Yesterday, we saw the launch of the national development plan review. There was one mention of the Navan to Dublin rail line, with no mention of any development that would progress it faster and no ring-fenced funds for it. Bizarrely, there was a mention of building the stations on a line where it has not even been decided what direction the line will go.

On Thursday, 4 December, there will be a public meeting of the Meath on Track campaign in Meath. All I am asking the Tánaiste to do at this time is to ask the senior transport Minister to listen to the people of Meath and the frustration in the country around this issue and to attend that meeting and listen to exactly how it is affecting so many people in Meath. Will the Tánaiste commit to that here today?

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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If I start making diary commitments for the Minister for Transport on the floor of the Dáil, I will find myself in a peculiar situation.

I will certainly pass on the Deputy's request as I am sure the Deputy will be in touch with the Minister's office also. I live in a county not too dissimilar to the Deputy's in relation to commuter issues. I do take the point that far too many people are spending far too long sitting in traffic. I take the societal points the Deputy makes about the impact it is having on quality of life, childcare arrangements and a whole variety of other things, including emissions in terms of people sitting in traffic. I want to directly address the transport issues but we also need to have a really integrated conversation around work in the 21st century. It is why the Minister of State, Deputy Dillon, and the Minister, Deputy Peter Burke, are leading the consultation on remote working. There is this idea that people have to sit in their car five days a week and travel for hours on end. Not everybody, but some people can successfully work in their community in remote working hubs, connected hubs or indeed in their homes. This can work for some businesses and some public services. I look forward to the outcome of that consultation.

Yesterday the Ministers with responsibility for transport announced the Department of Transport capital ceilings for 2026 to 2030. The Deputy will acknowledge that by any yardstick it is a very significant increase in investment. There is a breakdown in that for active travel, public transport, road networks, road safety, civil aviation, maritime transport safety and ICT. The Deputy will also note that in that, the largest budget for 2026 is in respect to €1.6 billion for the road network, closely followed by €1.4 billion for public transport, rising to €2 billion in 2027, €2.5 billion in 2028, €2.3 billion in 2029 and €1.9 billion in 2030.

Specifically on the issue of the Navan rail line, which I know is very important in the Deputy's constituency, the NTA's transport strategy for the greater Dublin area does set out a framework for transport investment over the 20-year period from 2022 to 2042. The issue of a rail connection between Dublin and Navan was re-examined as part of the development. The re-examination supported the development of a rail line from Dublin to Navan so it is a fact that it is required. The final strategy includes delivery of the line subject to the various planning and funding approvals. In 2024, the NTA did allocated funding to Iarnród Éireann for the establishment of a design team to commence work on the Navan rail line project. This work involves route option selection, and planning and design phases of the project. Iarnród Éireann commenced the procurement process for the pre-construction phase of the project and issued a tender to pre-qualified consultants at the end of May of last year. In November of last year, about a year ago, multidisciplinary consultants RPS were appointed by Iarnród Éireann for the duration of the project to work with the rail company's in-house project team. It is anticipated that a public consultation on the route options will now take place next year. That process will ultimately recommend the defined route and then allow the project to move forward to the business case stage, which will require it being approved in line with infrastructure guidelines as well. As the Deputy said, the Navan rail line is mentioned in the NDP, under a sectoral implementation plan. We had a debate earlier about what is and is not mentioned. This is mentioned in the plan. We are committed to the delivery of it.

I make one final point. The Deputy refers to times gone past and I know he has a view on this too. In times gone past, I do reckon there was an awful lot less around regulatory, planning, delays and likes as well.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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No landlords.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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We do need to see how we streamline that for important capital projects.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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The Tánaiste mentioned a number of stages in a multi-stage process. Each of those stages is taking longer than it actually took to build it in the 1860s with picks and shovels.

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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By the landlords.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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The national development plan review means very little. At best it is talking about the rail line being delivered by 2036 but there is already a landowner talking about taking a judicial review against it, which is going to blow that out of the water. This project is in reverse. We were told we were going to have the railway order in 2026 and now it is being pushed back to the end of 2027. The Government has increased the budget, I agree, but those come after this country being second from the bottom in Europe for ten years in terms of infrastructural spend. All the money the Government pushes on this does not matter unless it fixes the disaster in terms of infrastructure builds. Under this Government, we have the slowest planning, permitting, licensing, tendering and judicial review systems in the European Union.

The response to the workers who are stuck in traffic is to hike up their tolls and fuel taxes. Some people in Meath are suggesting a toll strike, refusing to pay tolls on the roads. Some are suggesting they block traffic in Dublin in the same way traffic is being blocked for them on a daily basis. I am against that disruption. Rather than going to those lengths, the Tánaiste must do his best to see if he can get a senior Minister or public servant in the room in Navan on Thursday week, to listen to the people on the crisis they are going through.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I generally believe it is very important for public officials to listen and engage, including those who have responsibility for the delivery of the projects in terms of the various agencies. I am sure if the Deputy reaches out to the Minister's office, he can engage with him. I am sure he has done so. I will certainly pass this on as well. I am in a point of agreement. First, I disagree with the idea that the project is going backwards. I very much believe it is moving forward. That is why it is in our national development plan, and the investment plan of yesterday. We will go to consultation on the preferred route in 2026. I think that is progress. I agree with the Deputy on the diagnosis of the challenge in terms of how we streamline infrastructure delivery. The Deputy will remember from our debates on these issues that I ran an election campaign where my party heavily advocated for the need for a Department of infrastructure in our programme for Government. We got a division in the Department of public expenditure and reform on infrastructure delivery. We are going to see the outworkings of that, probably next week and certainly within the next two weeks in terms of how we can streamline processes. As Minister for Finance, I believe funding will not be the major challenge in the delivery of those capital projects. It will be timelines and making sure we can look at running some processes in parallel rather than waiting meekly for this to end, and then this and so on. There are more gates here than you would see in many country estates. We need to look at how we can reduce that as well.