Micheál Martin

I have spoken to Uisce Éireann representatives about this and they have a national mapping exercise already. With the best will in the world, if we want to build 50,000 houses per year and if we give an extra couple of billion euro to Uisce Éireann over the coming years, it will have to concentrate that spend on the big cities and big areas of population. Therefore, for smaller villages and towns …

I accept the Deputy's good wishes.

I thank the Deputy for raising this crucial issue. Investment in childcare has quadrupled since 2015 from €260 million to close to €1.4 billion in 2025. Last year alone, funding went up by 26%, or €261 million. Childcare costs meanwhile have dropped by more than 38% since early 2023. The last Government did a significant amount of work. I acknowledge Deputy O'Gorman is in the Chamber. He worked wi…

-----to ensure stronger provision.

First, I have to say very strongly that it is one thing to say we acknowledge it. We need to more than acknowledge it. There has been a significant step change in investment in childcare in the past four years. That will continue as regards the level of it. The State funds nearly 40% of all early learning and care of school-age childcare places across multiple funding rounds. Last year, the supply…

-----and the employment regulation is key to that.

I met Mark and Cara this morning at 9 a.m. It was a positive and constructive meeting. We discussed all the issues involved and I outlined what I will do and what the Government will do. I already outlined in a response under Leaders' Questions earlier, all the steps we will take. I was involved in drafting the 2005 legislation-----

-----so I am fairly well clued-in with the legislation.

The important point is this: I am interested in solutions. I am not at all clear that Sinn Féin is.

I get the feeling from the Deputy that the longer-----

Sorry? We will bring that forward to this House.

I said it yesterday-----.

-----in terms of greater flexibility so that we use therapists optimally and get interventions.

The fundamental intervention at the moment is State-led. The Labour Party says it believes in State-led intervention. Almost the entirety of the intervention nowadays is State-led. It stands at more than €8 billion at the moment.

That is the highest ever on record. We need a private sector dimension to house building. I do not know whether the Deputy believes in that.

Does the Deputy believe there is a role for institutional funds, for example?

I am just putting it to the Deputy because I have watched over the past three or four years on housing. All I get is an antipathy on the Opposition side towards any private sector funding in housing. If they maintain that position, we will not deal with the housing supply issue.

That is ultimately the way to deal with reducing the rate of increase in rent. The RTB is quite clear in terms of the levels at the moment.

What we have witnessed in the last 24 hours is welcome but it is too late in some respects. There has been a division of opinion among member states in respect of this issue for quite some time. It is quite historic as the Deputy knows. Not everybody agrees with Ireland. We have a number of like-minded states, such as Slovenia and Spain, and Belgium to a lesser degree, which has a coalition govern…

We have made significant progress in terms of the HPV vaccine. I will check with the Minister for Health in respect of the catch-up programme. I will ask the Minister to revert back to the Deputy in respect of it. It is a fair question to raise and I will follow it up.

I do not know the background to the Crosshaven situation. As the Deputy said, it is just hot off the press. However, I will follow it up. I work closely with the Irish Postmasters Union and we keep in touch with the network. As the Deputy knows, the Government has committed to supporting Ireland's post office network and as part of that commitment, it is currently providing An Post with €10 millio…

I also welcome the pupils from Kilrane National School. I hope they will learn something from observing the activities in the House and also from the rich history and heritage that the House has to offer. I agree with Deputy O'Sullivan that the time is now for the suspension of the agreement because Article 2 is not being complied with. All human rights have been abandoned. The weaponisation of a…

Strawberries are very high in nutrients and that is very important so I will not say no.

Generally speaking, this Government has taken a position to support the construction of roads within the provisions of the public capital programme. The updating of the national development plan will involve provision for roads. We may not go into every specific road in the country in that plan because flexibility has to be allowed to Transport Infrastructure Ireland and to local authorities. Howe…

There has been an increased allocation for the tenant in situ scheme. There were reviews around making sure the resources would go to those tenants who were in danger of being rendered homeless. The tenant in situ scheme is not for general acquisition of second-hand homes. It is specifically for those in danger of becoming homeless. The Minister is engaging with local authorities to make sure the …