Results 61-80 of 1,023,512 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill)

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Thomas Gould: The Minister mentioned "evidence-based". Obviously, the Minister is quite an intelligent man and being Minister for Finance, is good with figures. He quoted that Cork City Council delivered 800 additional houses. That is a misprint, that was 800 families. Some 1,000 to 1,200 came on to the housing waiting list the same year. I am not a genius or an expert in maths but if 800 houses are...

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Joe Flaherty: I will not be supporting amendments No. 6 and 7 but they give me a segue to raise a concern I have. I hope the Minister will be able to allay it in his closing remarks. The Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill is hugely important. The Minister has championed it and I commend him on it. It will allow us to protect pensions and the health service in the...

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Thomas Gould: I support these amendments in relation to the ability to draw down funding. We are in the middle of the worst housing crisis in the history of the State and we will not having the ability to access vital funding. We have the highest house prices, rent and homelessness figures in the history of the State. We have almost 8,000 people on housing lists in Cork. The Government's affordable...

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Michael McGrath: That is not true.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Thomas Gould: The Minister should check the figures published today. He probably has not seen them as he was here going through the Bill. I ask him to come back to me tomorrow. Everyone knows the target figures set by the Government and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, of just over 30,000 houses a year are too low. Then we hear the Minister say the Government will hold a review and look at the...

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Michael Creed: What about the help-to-buy scheme that Sinn Féin will abolish?

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Thomas Gould: Four thousand children are homeless. Is that your best contribution? Some 4,100 children are homeless and that is your best contribution.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Michael Creed: You will not help the situation.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Thomas Gould: Fine Gael has been in government for 13 years.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: Hear, hear.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Thomas Gould: Fianna Fáil has been in government for seven or eight years with it. You have made 4,000 children and 13,000 adults homeless and that is your best contribution.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Michael Creed: Sinn Féin will make it worse.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Thomas Gould: If that is all you can contribute today, you would be better off going back to your constituency because you should be ashamed of yourself.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Catherine Connolly: Deputies, please speak through the Chair.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Thomas Gould: That is fair enough. To get back to the point, on derelict and vacant sites, according to the census there are 163,000 vacant properties. A number of years ago, I got a site in Blarney Street put on the derelict sites register. I have mentioned it here a number of times. This butcher's shop was empty for 33 years and because it went onto the derelict sites register and Cork City...

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Catherine Connolly: Amendments Nos. 3 to 8, inclusive, are related and will be discussed together.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 3: In page 12, between lines 16 and 17, to insert the following: “ “designated housing project” has the meaning assigned to it by section 21;”. I will speak to all of the grouped amendments. These amendments relate to the infrastructure, climate and nature fund and under the legislation, €2 billion will be contributed to the...

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Mattie McGrath: I rise to support the Sinn Féin amendment No. 3 and the other ones included, up to amendment No. 7. It does not make sense, although it probably makes sense to me who is running this Government. The tail is wagging the dog, completely, totally and utterly. We can raid this fund any time we like for environmental issues, pet projects of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the ideology he is...

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Pearse Doherty: I move amendment No. 2: In page 8, between lines 15 and 16, to insert the following: “(3) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), the Future Ireland Fund investment strategy shall have regard to the promotion of the economic development and stability of the State, across sectors including but not limited to housing, infrastructure, energy and water.”.

Future Ireland Fund and Infrastructure, Climate and Nature Fund Bill 2024: Report and Final Stages (15 May 2024)

Amendment put: The Dáil divided: Tá, 49; Níl, 59; Staon, 0. Tellers: Tá, Deputies Pádraig Mac Lochlainn and Denise Mitchell; Níl, Deputies Hildegarde Naughton and Cormac Devlin.