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development and stronger collaboration between universities, technological universities, enterprise agencies and local communities. Innovation policy must not become detached from public purpose. It should help us to solve real societal challenges such as sustainable housing, delivering cleaner energy, improving healthcare access, supporting inclusive education, strengthening public transport … also measured by whether people feel secure about the future, whether workers feel valued, whether young people believe they can build a decent life here and whether communities feel included in national progress. That is the test we should apply to every policy decision in this area. Ireland

want to do is to ensure that the people outside the State who have money to spend on construction spend it here, building homes for Irish people, people working here, people living here and people investing in our economy by working in our economy and paying taxes. Those … right about this or not. I have some sympathy for the aspects of this motion that address the gazumping of local communities and taking away a whole housing estate that has been built and should be made available for sale to people in the local area. I have

mainly housing, energy, water and transport, in line with the ambitions in the review to enable the delivery of over 300,000 new homes and to boost our economic competitiveness. As well as the core housing and competitive objectives, the Government recognises that the delivery of essential infrastructure … Newbridge; the Sallins bypass; the Maynooth University technology, society and innovation building; a new 1,000-pupil post-primary school in Naas Community College; and Naas library. Numerous small projects have also been delivered or are planned for north Kildare in the housing, education and cultural sectors, including

provision of housing by accelerating supply and increasing the affordability of homes; — the increase in new homes, as well as measures such as the First Home Scheme, the Help to Buy scheme, the Local Authority Home Loan, the relaxation of social housing income eligibility limits, and the introduction … struggling to purchase a home, by bridging the gap between their financial resources and the price of the home, through a range of schemes including the Help to Buy, First Home Scheme, Local Authority Affordable Purchase Scheme and the Local Authority Home Loan; — consider the best means

community nursing home capital programme, which was launched to ensure that up to 90 of our public community nursing units and community hospitals would be refurbished or replaced to ensure the best quality environments for our older people. The public private partnership aspect of the community nursing unit … programme continues to progress and will deliver 528 beds in seven facilities across the country. The new community nursing unit in Killarney is part of the public private partnership project and will have a complement of 130 beds providing 50 long-stay beds, 30 dementia-specific beds

lifeline for communities that have been neglected for years. In Cork, we have the north-west quarter regeneration. I attended the first meeting in September 2000, 26 years ago. Twenty-six years later, only 99 homes have been built and delivered. Less than €100 million has been spent … homes. Why would you put in a new kitchen or a new floor or paint the house? People still do it, but why would you invest in a home when you know it is going to be knocked down? The people who do invest in their homes

teachers, hospitals cannot get nurses, our community disability services cannot get psychologists and therapists and the very tradespeople we need to build the homes are being forced to emigrate because they do not see how they can get a home of their own in this country … tiger crash. What an appalling record for Fianna Fáil, namely to have caused two housing disasters within a generation. Last year, the Government delivered a mere 474 affordable purchase homes via local authorities. In 17 counties it did not deliver even one affordable purchase home. In the capital

will begin a new era of community development. In rural, provincial and urban areas, many challenges can only be met if we bring together all relevant agencies, work with the communities and develop interventions targeted specifically at each community’s distinct needs. The Minister for Social Protection will … Government will have clear responsibilities for delivering on the ambitious programme we have set out. It will be an outward-looking Government, one which is focused on protecting our economy and delivering sustained progress in housing and education, in helping communities, in transforming services for people with disabilities

area where I live, Castle Park, planning permission for a large residential development of 469 houses has been sanctioned, alongside the existing 500 homes. Residents in the area have made it quite clear that they are not against the housing development, but they cannot accept that level … They are against the lack of public infrastructure. They have serious concerns about roads, drainage issues and village community infrastructure. I welcome housing developments and the building of homes. Every second person who contacts me mentions private rental and social housing. However, if the Government is going

more money. It was about speculators making profit. Just to let people know, that site has been burned down numerous times and the building has been destroyed. I think of the people who live around it. I think of the consequences for firefighters and first responders who have … extension. We want homes built and we want delivery. What we do not want is further speculation and what we cannot allow is that potential homes are not built. To have uncommenced planning permissions is costly and a huge barrier to delivering homes that people desperately need

establish a time-bound school building delivery task force, with a mandate to ensure the expeditious and priority delivery of special schools and special classes, this task force must include relevant technical and departmental expertise and incorporate continuous engagement with local school communities and parents; and — to immediately … right to an education. It is the reality of children travelling impossible distances outside of their own communities because there is no school place for them at home. It is the reality of children who are lucky to have a school place but who are there

schools decline and the social fabric weakens. There is a solution, namely a State-led approach whereby it buys back vacant or derelict homes and manage their renovation rather than expecting families to find tens of thousands of euro upfront or act as project managers. We have seen … structures strengthen the community, economy and language rather than simply funding a house in isolation. Serviced sites would be a way forward. There are buyers for houses on islands and in Gaeltacht communities and it is not often that there is a willingness to build. If there

should be forced to wait months for essential care or to travel long distances for basic services. Telemedicine, community health hubs and better integration between GPs, hospitals and home care services will be key to ensuring that healthcare is accessible when and where people need it. Third … those who care for us - our doctors, nurses and healthcare workers. They work under immense pressure and if we want a system that delivers for patients, we must ensure that our healthcare professionals have the resources, staffing and working conditions they deserve. Fourth, Innovation and technology must

crisis head on, to ensure that those on average incomes never again pay USC, to ensure that our young people can build a life at home in Ireland instead of being forced out to seek opportunity abroad. It was shaped by the need to revolutionise services and supports … give a clear unequivocal commitment to scrap the unfair means test for carer's allowance. The election is over but our determination to deliver remains and it is for that reason my party, Sinn Féin, nominated me as Taoiseach today. There is no question of wasting time. There

forced to choose between paying the LPT and meeting basic needs. The Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable and this Bill delivers on that commitment. I am aware that some in this House and, indeed, in the wider public have raised concerns about the LPT. Some … ultimately less fair. Second, on the ability to pay, the LPT is not only a tax on home ownership, but a contribution to the services that make our communities liveable. The updated deferral thresholds ensure that whose who genuinely cannot afford to pay are protected. The vast majority

Relations Commission, so the issue can be resolved and a fair arrangement can be found to address workers' concerns. Many workers within our community and society are really concerned that this budget did not impact on them but did impact on certain others, as my colleague, Deputy Pearse … ridiculous policy that does nothing more than line the pockets of developers. This string of changes is only creating one kind of home, namely build to rent apartment blocks with flats that are smaller, darker and, increasingly, more expensive. For the next two years, this will have

radical reset of housing policy, as the Housing Commission recommended. If the private sector and international capital are not engaged in financing the building of apartments, then the State must step in because only the State has the deep pockets necessary to underwrite the true level of risk … workers and renters cannot bear the level of rents that speculators would want. Apartments constitute vital strategic infrastructure, as well as vital homes for our communities. Alongside our plan to scale up the Land Development Agency, the Labour Party proposes several State-led solutions to the apartment financing

roads, water, wastewater and energy, it will facilitate the building of a lot more housing. I refer again to the cases of Ferns and Camolin in County Wexford, where we are dying to build more homes but where there is no wastewater capacity. It is a similar situation … issued. The first school is Bunclody Community College, which has only three mainstream classes that are not in prefabricated buildings. The school operates on two campuses, which requires students to walk 500 m from one set of prefabricated buildings to another. It is an excellent school that provides

Oireachtas, has responsibility for the economic regulation of the electricity system operators, EirGrid and ESB Networks. System operators are tasked with building, safely operating and maintaining a fit-for-purpose electricity system. Our electricity grid is made up of two interlinked networks, namely, the transmission network operated … EirGrid, which allows us to transport electricity around the country, and the distribution network operated by ESB Networks, which brings power to communities, businesses and homes. In December, the CRU published its final determination on price review 6, PR6, setting out the investment that will take place

delivery of housing in recent years. We have seen more than 133,000 new-build homes delivered between 2020 and 2024. A total of 92,500 of those homes were delivered just between 2022 and 2024, which is up nearly 50% on the previous three years … take it to the next level and be able to achieve the ambition we have of 300,000 more homes being delivered in this country by 2030. We are very clear in regard to what we need to do, and many of the issues the Deputy highlighted

expected to deliver complex services, while too often operating within short-term and uncertain funding arrangements; and — younger adults with an intellectual disability should not be left in nursing homes, or other inappropriate settings, because the State has failed to plan suitable community-based alternatives; further notes that … wider shift towards rights-based community living; — a rights-based system must plan homes and supports around people, rather than placing people wherever a vacancy happens to arise; and — public funding for long-term disability homes should build public, voluntary, not-for-profit and community capacity, rather than

improved public services and more capacity in our hospitals and nursing homes, as well as a significant increase in home support hours which will enable more people to live for longer and more independently in their homes. I particularly welcome the significant increases to the carer's allowance … that while we also support infrastructure. This budget supports the delivery of thousands of new build social homes and supports second-hand acquisition programmes as well as delivering for key investments. Housing and infrastructure are key goals in this budget. It strengthens our economic resilience through investment

transforming those communities. As one of the largest public investments in the State’s history, the national broadband plan is designed to address market failure, ensuring universal high-speed connectivity and supporting balanced economic growth, competitiveness and social inclusion across all regions. We are delivering strong progress … Government identified a need to deliver broadband services where commercial operators would not operate. National Broadband Ireland was appointed to deliver the wholesale broadband service to those parts of the country located in the intervention areas. Already, over 1.5 million homes have been passed across the State

rural communities are mostly where the rural occupant or rural dweller wants to put his or her first home, particularly the sons and daughters of rural dwellers. There is a win-win there for everyone, because if young couples have an opportunity to build their first home … that we must change the guidelines or the rules pertaining to planning and Irish Water's capacity or ability to be able to deliver wastewater treatment systems. I know there is a lot of criticism with regard to the sewage or package treatment plants that now seem

Minister, Deputy Donohoe, will make a difference in the delivery of housing across our country but, to build these homes, we need to provide the critical building blocks of water and energy. Water and Energy In the national development plan, I have committed to providing €12.2 billion … renewable energy. Building on this, I am allocating €1.1 billion to the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment in 2026. This includes: €558 million in carbon tax revenue for residential and community energy upgrade schemes; continued investment in the retrofit of public buildings to support the delivery