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does not stand up. The Minister will not do that just like the Government will not have a referendum to hold a right to housing to make housing a human right because it does not believe that it is a human right. As I said earlier … Belgium. Why will the Minister not do that? It is because he will not step up and state, "We believe housing is a human right. This is an emergency. We will take these measures." The Government is introducing a Bill that still very much does not addressing fundamental

procurement. We will free up the private sector to provide homes at much greater scale by providing more zoned and serviced land for housing right across the country. The Government has delivered a revised national planning framework, enabling the zoning of significantly more land. Apartment standards have been … rental for purchase or private. We are determined to get those homes delivered right across the country. Our plan is already starting to show. It is showing momentum with a significant increase in housing delivery. We have seen an increase in planning permissions in the third quarter

taking place. Since entering office, the Minister has employed this tough man image whereby he will virtue signal to people on the far right or people who have racist views that he is getting tough on immigration, including with his chartered flights and now with this Bill. That … case heretofore when he made a comment to the effect that a significant number of people in emergency accommodation have no right to housing in this country. I would not call it a dog whistle, because it was fairly blatant. Asylum seekers generally are abhorrently treated. Four hundred

class housing estate in the ward I represented in Waterford city, there was a plan to put in place a service in a house right in the middle of the estate by an organisation that supported people with drug and addiction problems. There was a lot of fear … small number of residents were selected to go and visit centres in different parts of the State where the same organisation had similar houses providing similar services. Over time, the fear dissipated. The service providers won over the local community. That service has been there for the past

investment asset for global financial funds. There is a contradiction at the heart of its housing policy. It cannot be a public good, a social good, a human right on the one hand, and an asset that is essentially there to be sweated on the other. There … Minister has seen, at what point they get enough. They never get enough. This is why we have to treat housing as a human right. We will bring forward a Bill to treat housing as a human right, which the Government has failed

previous Governments. Housing is a human right and is enshrined in Article 25 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Housing Commission deals with this housing emergency and says, "It is critical that this housing deficit is addressed through emergency action." Successive governments have failed

capital should be allowed to come in here and buy up and bulk-purchase houses from under the noses of first-time buyers. Young couples who have scrimped and saved and done everything right and everything they can to be able to purchase their forever home find international … option to ban it and vote to say that it will end this practice. There may be little else we can get right on housing, but we can do this. With the stroke of a pen, we can increase the stamp duty to 100%, 200% or whatever

they cannot afford to send their children to college purely because they cannot afford to pay the rent. That is not right. The housing policies only work to line the pockets of the mega-landlords, the vulture funds and the big property developers. Put simply, the Minister … single most pressing social issue that affects individuals and families in Ireland right now. There are people in Carlow and Kilkenny who are working but cannot afford to rent, if they could even find a house to rent. They cannot get a mortgage because their wages

went unchecked in our State for far too long. It is right that we should hear these harsh truths in this House and it is right that we should apologise for them. In truth, we can never apologise enough for what happened. In May 1999, the Government apologised … abuse. The dark past of this country is an abyss of misery for the children so victimised. It is right, as I have said, that this House listens and apologises and, more importantly, it is essential we act. It is true to say extensive work has been undertaken

worked extremely closely to ensure we are doing the right thing for children and their families. We have engaged with all Deputies right across the House in making sure the concerns they have, quite rightly, in representing families are brought to our attention. We will try to find

Taoiseach spoke earlier about the need for housing and everyone right around the Dáil here agrees on the urgent need for more houses. He spoke about 50,000 houses and it is welcome that he has that aspiration and the policy to try to back

build local authority houses in small villages, such as Scotia's Glen, Gneeveguilla, Firies, Curragh, Currans and all these places. I hear the council is slow to buy these land banks because it will be hit with the residential zoned land tax. Is that right? That is serious … urban regeneration clause is causing severe difficulty far from towns where people who never lived in a town are being denied the right to build houses. Will the Minister of State please do something about those things

north Cork. We are very lucky to have five or six sites in development at the moment, with a number of houses being developed right across the town. We have a number of other applications for planning permission which do not have a wastewater connection at the moment … That will allow for an increase in the population equivalent, PE, in the wastewater treatment plant, which would allow for ca. 230 more houses to be built. I bring this to the floor of the Dáil today in the hope that we could push it forward

here, however, to give concluding statements. He will be kept up to date as to the comments made during the statements from right across the House. I welcome the opportunity to come before the House to speak on this most important issue of homelessness and the work being

know the Minister of State is very passionate about, AI and energy and AI and education. We are learning from people right across these Houses, and from civic society organisations, business, and academic experts. We are very keen to hear their views. People can email ai@oireachtas.ie. That

obvious. Parents are locked out of their own communities, children are forced to leave their communities and families are living in uncertainty. Housing is a right; it is not a commodity. Policy must protect people, and not investors. This is not about markets or profit margins

initiative operating right through the education and training systems, and a lot of emphasis on AI literacy. This applies in schools and workplaces right throughout the entire system. This is something that is reflected in the Government strategy, particularly in terms of upskilling. I commend our colleague … that people become very much aware of the transformational powers, positive and negative, of AI. We are using AI products, and rightly, already within Leinster House. Increasingly we know our constituents, businesses and organisations are raising issues relating to AI with us. A training programme in here

Reception Conditions Directive. As the House knows, this directive ensures that on reception, people have access to appropriate food, clothing, housing, etc., and have the right to access work within six months. What we are trying to do is to define in exact terms what this means

know the principles of, knowing it is likely stripping people coming to this country of their constitutional and natural rights - you could not make it up. This House is being given days to inspect a Bill with few basic definitions, which the Department has had years to create … Bill that affects fundamental rights without adequate consideration is a level of Executive overreach I thought I would not see in this House and I am gravely concerned by it. Let me clear, if you are an immigrant or not, you will find me and my party

banks transferring loans to vulture funds. Whether it is a farm or a house, the receivers come and do their best. In many cases, they have succeeded in selling homes and property whose rightful owners ran into a bit of bother. If a couple got into trouble … rent out their houses for six years. For those people who own, buy or are trying to pay back a house, it is their constitutional and democratic right to do whatever they like with it. That is how I feel about it and nothing will ever move

above 20,000 and we are trying to get the balance right between tourism and housing. It is important to note, there will be an obligation to register. The Bill is the short-term letting and tourism legislation. We published that, as the Deputy knows. We got Cabinet

policy certainty. The resourcing of the Residential Tenancies Board is also very important to landlords and in certain circumstances the Bill gives the right to reset rents, which is something that landlords have called for. Again, it is about striking that balance. If we do not have both … committee. I know they have been making submissions in recent days as well. It is important we get this right before the Bill passes through the Houses because it is one opportunity we have to get this right. Valid points are being made on both sides

have a robust system in place. This is a significant policy change. We have to make sure we get it right. I assure the House and all Members that we are working extremely carefully with the National Council for Special Education, us as elected members and Department officials … various different types over the past couple of days. I assure the Deputies that when we have this done, we will have it right. We take everything seriously. We understand the special needs assistants, the children, the families and schools

free on the money that lady is giving them. How can that be right? Another woman contacted me. Herself, her partner and her two kids are living in a room in her parents' house. They got a mortgage, but the mortgage is not enough to buy a house … more than the original asking price. The Government is getting ordinary people who are trying to buy a house into bidding wars against vulture funds. It is not right; it is all wrong. We know people have a limited amount of money, but these vulture funds have

months of the coming into operation of this act the Minister shall produce a report into the establishing of a principle that the rights of a tenant shall not be affected by the size or type of the landlord and/or the date of the tenancy commencement. (4) Within … fight back. People who want something done about this housing crisis and who want to get affordable rents, secure and affordable housing and to protect tenants' rights need to begin to get organised on the streets