Jack Chambers

I thank the Deputy for her question. I first want to echo what she said about Brother Crowley. Ireland has lost a wonderful person, someone who brought incredible care, humility and service to support the most vulnerable in our country. We thank him for his tireless work. May he rest in peace. I offer condolences to all of his family. In response to the Deputy's question, I acknowledge there is s…

What I have said very clearly is that the outlook will be informed by what we agree as part of budget 2026. This is the hypocrisy of Sinn Féin when it comes to third level fees. In the North, the then Minister, Caoimhe Archibald, was not at the time ruling out hikes in student fees.

She then said that she had to work within the context of the financial position. It is the same for this Government when it comes to budget 2026.

When it comes to all policy-----

All decisions we will make for next year will be made in the budget.

They will be done and concluded in the budget process. That is the same as has happened in previous years. That is the context. That will inform the outlook for 2026.

That is the same for all policy measures.

It is decided in the budget.

I absolutely reject what Deputy Bacik set out there concerning the Minister, Deputy Browne. If we look at the series of actions and reforms he has undertaken in recent weeks, I think a significant difference will be made in driving housing supply, private and public, in our economy. He has reformed and streamlined the approval process for new-build social housing projects this week, making a real …

If we look at the series of reforms the Minister has taken, it will make a difference.

I have referenced a series of actions being taken,-----

-----including the strengthening of the Land Development Agency, continuing to support the increased supply of social and affordable homes-----

-----and the measures the Minister, Deputy Browne, has taken to cut through some of the bureaucracy that exists around the four-stage approval process and reform that. He has taken a series of measures that will increase the supply of social and affordable homes.

Central to the new national development plan will be an increased allocation that is all focused on housing. Our central and number one focus as a Government is driving the supply of thousands of new homes right across our country, but this requires reforming how systems operate. The Deputy is just asking for additional allocations, but we need to change some of the systems that are currently-----

Well, credit has not been given to the Minister, Deputy Browne, for some of the measures he has taken in recent weeks that will make a difference in the context of social and affordable homes.

On the tenant in situ scheme, we have provided an additional €325 million in 2025 for local authorities to buy second-hand homes.

This will make a difference to families facing homelessness.

The Deputy cannot just dismiss budgetary planning as if it is not a proper part of how the Government operates and how politics should operate as part of-----

The Deputy just dismissing this and saying we should have ad hoc decisions on measures taken every week is not the appropriate way to run the budgetary process. What I said very clearly yesterday and again today was that we acknowledged the pressure many families and students faced. That is absolutely understood by everyone in the Government. What we have said we will do around the budgetary proc…

The programme for Government is centrally important and informs all Ministers in how they negotiate in any budget. What is referenced in the programme for Government relating to students and third level will inform the Minister's budgetary negotiation. What happened in previous years when temporary one-off measures were taken was that they were taken in the aftermath of the start of an academic ye…

I am familiar with the serious congestion in Galway city and the broader Galway region. As the Deputy knows, the National Transport Authority, NTA, has been developing the Galway metropolitan area transport strategy to inform what is possible for the future in the context of public transport but also road infrastructure in the Galway region, in conjunction with Galway City Council and Galway Count…

I think we all share the objectives of significantly improving transport infrastructure for Galway city. The work that has been undertaken around the feasibility study for light rail is important in that context. The National Transport Authority is considering that with the two relevant councils. There has been significant investment in Ceannt Station, as the Deputy knows, to try to improve connec…

The Department of housing, with the Minister for housing’s approval, decided not to proceed to award the contract for social housing bundle 3 through a public-private partnership. The basis for that decision was that the cost per unit was more than €1 million and almost double the cost of similar units delivered in 2020. Unit costs at that scale would not be compatible with the overall delivery of…

I acknowledge the urgent local need to advance these particular projects and also the fact that they have full planning permission. The Department of housing is now working with the National Development Finance Agency and all the local authorities to see how we can advance these projects through an alternative delivery strategy. They are also reviewing future public-private partnerships bundles so…

I will allow the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to set out the specific representations that have been made at official or ministerial level. As the Deputy knows, a new ambassador arrived this week. The Minister met him this week and will be able to comment on his direct discussions with the US administration. The Ireland-US relationship is and continues to be important. I acknowledge the …