Ged Nash

I understand the Minister of State's defence of her own position. That is fine.

I would imagine, as a courtesy, that the Minister of State would ask the NTMA to write to us to provide us with the information we require.

It is basic, and it is the job of this House to hold the Executive to account. It is our job, fundamentally, constitutionally, to approve expenditure.

It is as simple as that.

It is contemptuous.

Leave it to me.

County Louth has been in mourning over the past few days and we all unite in sending our sympathies and condolences to the families left behind after that unspeakable tragedy outside Dundalk on Saturday night. I congratulate Deputy Donohoe on his appointment. This is a very significant personal achievement and this is also a very significant achievement for Ireland. This is evidence of the respec…

While we may differ politically, I will miss him at some of the same gigs we managed to attend. While we differ politically, we also differ in terms of our football teams as well but we can move beyond that. In Deputy Donohoe’s engagement with me and my party over the years, he has shown nothing but respect, integrity and honour and I thank him for that. I wish him, Justine and the family every su…

My colleague and Labour MEP for Dublin, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin, has led the charge - as has rightly been said - on this issue in Ireland for a number of years now and he is continuing to lead the way in Europe. The most obvious example to follow in a European context is that of Portugal. One thing is crystal clear from the Portuguese example, that is, moving to a health-based and approach away from pu…

1. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation the reforms he plans to introduce to improve the delivery of infrastructure and capital development outlined in the revised national development plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60445/25]

We have been reading a lot of significant information in the media in recent days and weeks about plans the Minister appears to have to improve the delivery of infrastructure and capital development in the context of the revised national development plan, NDP. Will he elaborate precisely on what those plans are and how he plans to implement them?

This is all well and good and we have been reading a lot about this since the revised national development plan was published. We will see updates on specific projects shortly. Will there be timelines for those projects? Looking beyond the abstract, what will it mean for people? For example, will the package of proposals that the Minister wants implemented shorten the timeframe for the delivery of…

Would the Government take any responsibility for what the Minister described as the unnecessary processes that have developed over time? We hear a lot of analysis of this and finally the Government appears to be cottoning on to the fact we have a real problem with delivery. We have been saying it in opposition for years - I try to be constructive and put forward alternative proposals for delivery …

The Tánaiste said nothing about Drogheda.

He was on Instagram all weekend and said nothing about Drogheda. He did not condemn it.

The man with no thought that goes untweeted said nothing. It is my hometown.

It is true though.

I am pleased to speak on the Finance Bill. It gives effect to many of the announcements made in the budget two short weeks ago. If we needed any convincing that budget 2025 was all about the pending election, budget 2026, a bare budget for working people, and the associated Finance Bill prove the point beyond any doubt. This time last year, billions in once-off payments were thrown around in a tra…

A bit like the help-to-buy for the property developers.

It is getting worse.

They support the viability gap.

It is a failure in the housing stock.

It is shameful.

It was published this morning. The Taoiseach can challenge it himself.

I will be sharing time with my colleague Deputy Sherlock. The story of Ireland over the past decade has been a story of missed opportunities. There was a catastrophic failure to build the homes we need when we could and should have done. The Government is so crippled by caution and conservatism that we are only now, a decade into a unprecedented spell of uninterrupted growth, facing up to the chro…