Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If the Cathaoirleach will indulge me, I will raise four short items. On behalf of the Fianna Fáil group, I congratulate the Leader on his recent engagement to Conchobhar Ó Laoghaire. On behalf of our group we wish him the best happiness into the future and wish him the best of luck with his wedding preparation.

The second issue I will raise is the cath lab for the south east. I commend all those who supported and demonstrated outside Leinster House today. The south-east is the only region in the country without an operational cath lab open after hours and weekends. It is an absolute disgrace that even one life has been lost as a result of the negligence of the State. I extend my sympathies to the Power family and commend its members on championing this cause and leading the demonstrations today. Their bravery in ensuring this does not happen again is commendable in a time when they should be grieving.

I will also raise an issue I have raised on numerous occasions on the continuing increase in house prices in Dublin and the lack of supply. In Dublin alone, house prices are rising by over €5,000 a month. These figures are absolutely incredible. There is no way on earth those of us on an average salary - or even anybody with a gold-plated salary - could afford to save for a house the way house prices are increasing. It is impossible to save for a deposit and to compete with rising house prices. This Government has yet to deal with the elephant in the room that is supply and it has done nothing to address it to date. The now failed help-to-buy scheme will create even more chaos and inflated prices as it is envisaged it will be abolished in the next few months. It will feed into an already chaotic frenzy of people trying to secure a new home at these inflated prices. We need to look at practical measures to increase supply. We need to look at the cost of certification, VAT, investment in infrastructure and some form of "use it or lose it" taxes on those who have planning permission but are not using it. I call on the new Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, to come into the House to explain what measures he will be taking. I do not believe he has been in the House yet. There are many young families and young people watching this space with great disappointment. There are over 2,500 families who are homeless and cannot wait any longer. It is no longer correct for the Government to do nothing. We want to see action and sods being turned in the country. I will conclude by commending the Minister, Deputy Zappone, on implementing some of the key measures of Dr. Geoffrey Shannon's report on emergency child protection measures. She is probably one of the fastest-acting Ministers in terms of implementing recommendations. I commend them.