Conor Murphy (Sinn Fein)

I welcome the opportunity to comment on the statement made by the Minister. I notice that like myself, he is moving quickly from one place to another but I welcome the presence of his ministerial colleague. The important matter he raised was setting the framework of the budget and future budgets. There has to be a recognition in doing that, which was not alluded in his statement, of the challenges that families are currently facing, and have been for the past number of years, in relation to a range of matters. The cost-of-living crisis is being contributed to by high energy, food and rent costs and by lack of access to housing, and has only become exacerbated in recent times. Any attempt to frame budgets for this year or the following years needs to be in terms of consideration that need to be front and centre regarding the real challenges that people have been facing and continue to face at this time.

The Minister referred to the importance of capital investment in economically strategic areas. I am sure many of those who live in the more rural areas will welcome the news that there will be a certain geographic focus in that. The question relates to supporting housing development, which continues to be well under the required level to assist people who are waiting to get housing built and to try to get access to housing for themselves and their families. At a meeting of the Oireachtas committee on housing yesterday, Dr. Michelle Norris, professor of social policy at UCD and a member of the Housing Commission, criticised the Government's approach to spending on social housing as being highly problematic. She said that the boom-bust pattern of spending on social housing is socially problematic because when public spending fails, waiting lists and unmet social needs expand. Figures from last year from the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, IFAC, show that an additional 80,000 construction workers will be required to see through the State's infrastructure deficit. Those are real challenges. While there is a reference to the need for capital investment to support housing delivery, we need to see a real sense of recognition of some of the challenges that have been present for many years and that need to be taken seriously and addressed when setting the framework for the budget.

Energy was not mentioned in the Minister's statement. He referred specifically to housing delivery and future economic growth. Energy costs have been at the heart of the cost-of-living crisis. They are not only an issue for households and families; they are also an economic issue for businesses trying to do business and for investment. Serious investment is needed in energy infrastructure to make sure that we have more access to renewable energy to bring energy costs down for the broad population and also to support economic growth.

Members of the Houses are currently on the flotilla bring much-needed humanitarian aid to Gaza. The vessel they were travelling on was attacked and hit four times last night by the Israeli Defence Forces. I ask that the Minister for State raise with her Cabinet colleagues, particularly the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and that they protest the framing of the flotilla by Israel as an aggressive action, which is providing the justification for ongoing attacks on those on the flotilla. I ask that the Tánaiste raise this matter and that the Cabinet speak with one voice on it, particularly given that Members of the Oireachtas are involved. The flotilla should be allowed to continue its journey to provide much-needed humanitarian aid and that this in some way influences the Israeli Government to do what is necessary to allow humanitarian aid and to stop the genocide in Gaza and the attacks on those in the West Bank as well.