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issue is that the Bill is before the House because of a Supreme Court decision and the Costello judgment. We are going to have differences of opinion on it. There was a 4:3 split in the judgment but a 6:1 majority said that while … step and amendment by amendment over a period of hours and then come to the vote. At least we could say the House went through it the way it should have. I do not believe that it has gone through it the way it should have

looking in at proceedings. I will briefly outline how the debate will proceed for their benefit. Speaking times have been agreed by the House and are displayed on the clock. If the clock turns red, a Member's time is up. When a Member rises, their time begins … shared, the Chair will indicate this. All contributions must be made through the Chair. These arrangements are governed by the rules of the House. As Ceann Comhairle, I am obliged to implement them. Equally, all Members are obliged to comply with these rules. I ask that they

across the country are so angry with it. It is about energy bills but it is also about exorbitant rents and mortgage costs, house prices, childcare, education and healthcare costs, waiting lists and more. It is about a budget last October that did nothing for working people … about a housing crisis only getting worse as more and more young people choose to leave this country because they see no future here. It is about the thousands stuck on waiting lists for treatment, therapies, disability services and assessments of need. It is about a lack

want us to govern. People are under pressure. That is why the Government has intervened twice. I have been a Member of the Houses of the Oireachtas for 19 years and I will make a comment to Members of both Houses. Our language and words matter. Deputy Cairns

proof positive that not only will they not listen to the Irish people but they will not listen to TDs in this House. We have a cost-of-living crisis on top of a cost-of-living crisis, and that crisis has been deliberately worsened by Government policy … million to the burger barons of the big fast-food chains. On top of that, the Government is presiding over a housing crisis, a disability crisis and a health crisis. Ordinary, decent, hard-working people are put to the pins of their collars to make ends meet

been excruciating listening to the Government talking about misery and missed hospital appointments. The housing Minister has left the House. There is a tsunami of evictions in my constituency. Two thirds of the under-35s are living with their parents. Need I go on? This Government leaves vast

country saying he is concerned about the 900,000 people on waiting lists. He is concerned about the 60,000 people on housing lists and about the 116,000 people who are waiting for housing assistance payment, HAP. That is what this Government is concerned about

have tried to undermine them. They did so again on this occasion and that is to be commended by everyone in this House. I am, however, concerned about the unacceptable levels of hatred and vitriol directed at members of An Garda Síochána, sometimes in person, but mostly from … faceless cowards on social media, the majority of them from outside this State. I want to put on the record of the House that harassment of members of An Garda Síochána, online or in person, will not be tolerated

their wallet at the start of the week and had €50 left. I talked to a plumber who was called out to a house because the plumbing system was airlocked because they ran out of oil. He could not charge them the call-out fee because the only … thing that house had was a 25-litre drum because they could not afford any more. You decide to come in here with an insult to those individuals - a complete and utter abdication of your duties in saying you are doing nothing on home heating

years I have been a TD and for much of the decade before that, there was a coalition in this House - a coalition that existed across Government and Opposition that supported the carbon tax. There was a coalition that recognised the arguments that a dedicated, predictable and increasing … Opposition, that took difficult votes against populist amendments and spoke against populist motion and a coalition that recognised that sometimes, in this House, we need to genuinely look towards the long term and not just towards the next election. Today, with these financial resolutions, the Government has smashed

energy shock. After a volatile week when our country has been in a bad place, we all have responsibility. Everyone in this House has a mandate and was elected to help people. That is what we are here for. I do not question the mandate … make people who are upset and hurting more upset and hurting. That does not say compassion to me. No one in this House has a monopoly on compassion. The Opposition talks about ordinary people as though we do not. It is clear what they are doing

have to be on the road daily are forgotten. Was the Minister of State nice and warm when he woke up in his house this morning? I will tell him who were not: the people who rely on home heating oil and have to choose between heating … them being told to modify their travel or cut back somewhere due to the ever-rising fuel costs? Incredibly, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage issued a circular on 10 April telling the fire services not to automatically roll out with the ambulance services

husband at 12 noon to say that we were completely off the grid; we were pulling in enough solar to run the house. It is so quick to do, relatively cheap compared with retrofitting and can be rolled out across every house. One million homes in this country

listened to representative organisations, the public, TDs or Opposition parties. Several motions for a cost-of-living package have been debated in the House. My Private Members' motion in December calling for price controls on electricity, gas, fuel and food was arrogantly voted down. The recent packages … this fuel shock. The Government's failure and refusal to stand up to Donald Trump, that far-right unhinged madman in the White House, means that he has been emboldened and now believes he can do what he likes. He has threatened to wipe out a whole civilisation

have to be sidelined, such as, maybe, the greenways and double cycleways. I was with Noel Thomas in Galway recently. Everyone in every house I visited in the housing estate there was livid about these double cycleways as opposed to single cycleways. They asked where the money

using home heating oil. The other side, which was brought up earlier, relates to plant hire. The first thing that goes into every house is a digger and either a dump truck or a dump trailer. It relates to every part of that including all the ground works … Maybe there are clauses in some of those contracts with the councils or roads authorities but there are ordinary contractors who build houses and they are left out of this loop altogether. The second part, and I have talked about it a number of times, is that

between an A-rated house and a G-rated house in terms of energy consumption and yet Fine Gael councillors in Mayo are seeking to spend

core driver of fuel pressure inflation, that is, global international crude oil markets, which dictate the prices. It is not this House and not this Government. Pretending otherwise might be politically convenient for some but it does not help families who are trying to make ends meet … populism, but with responsibility, and not with noise or instability, but with stability. For these reasons, I cannot accept this motion before the House and I instead present the Government's amendment. The motion ignores the facts, disregards the extensive actions already taken and offers no credible

continues to receive the lowest level of funding of any technological university. Water and wastewater infrastructure is acting as a direct barrier to housing and development, with urgent upgrades needed in Lismore, Bunmahon, Crook, Passage, Portlaw and beyond, yet these projects are repeatedly deprioritised. In Dunmore East … clear potential for tourism, while cé Helvic i nGaeltacht na nDéise remains effectively unusable due to the lack of dredging there. In housing, targets have been missed to such an extent that people are now struggling to live and remain in their own communities. Entire villages and towns

public infrastructure over to big global infrastructure providers that saw infrastructure as a commodity through those public-private partnerships in wastewater, social housing and transport. It utterly failed and we then had a decade of austerity, during which the Government failed again and cut back capital projects … allow the Government to pretend it is doing something. Nothing has fundamentally changed, however. If we want to deliver critical infrastructure, particularly housing, rapidly, why do we not set up a State construction company with the capacity to directly deliver, rather than relying year after year

accelerating offshore wind development has never been stronger. We need to move quickly and with urgency. I am on record in this House as saying I felt that the previous Minister with responsibility for energy did not treat energy security or, indeed, expanding public transport with the urgency … certainty and we need a robust plan. Legislation alone will not get us through this. What will, though, is willingness across the House and across the country to face hard choices honestly together. This Bill is a step in that right direction

strategic planning but to slow and unreliable delivery systems. We have to act to remove the systemic blockages delaying infrastructure delivery across housing, energy utilities and transport. We have to act to tackle delays due to slow and unpredictable legal and planning frameworks. We have to speed things … lines. We have to secure Ireland's competitiveness by addressing Ireland's infrastructural deficits. These are national imperatives. For every Member of this House, they are also local imperatives. Last year, over 1,300 new homes were delivered in Dublin West, but too many residents are left waiting

have a chronic lack of infrastructure in our country. The basics, such as housing, transport, school places, hospitals, grid capacity and an effective high-quality water supply, are all completely lacking in the second richest country in all of Europe. Where does the money … hearing from the Government benches that we are a rich country, but no one feels it. They see a country crippled by a housing crisis exacerbated by a basic lack of infrastructure. That is why I welcome measures that will speed up delivery, but experience tells

overall Grand Parade quarter project, which is being funded through the urban regeneration and development fund, administered by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. My officials are in regular contact with colleagues in the URDF unit in that Department on the matter. In line with … Thankfully, we have a magnificent library now adjacent to Wilton Shopping Centre. Like Deputy Rice, we in this Department, with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, share the ambition to have a modern state-of-the-art library for Cork city. That is a project

clarify for the Deputy so that he knows, it is not our Department that is responsible; it is the Department of housing. To help him again, Cork City Council is the responsible local authority. I think Deputy Rice was at the briefing we had as Members … believe the city council identified a site. Work is ongoing. Our Department is committed in terms of our responsibility. The Department of housing is equally committed, as Deputy Rice will know. It should be put on record that this Government has been supportive and has funded Cork City

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of first registration applications currently on hand within Tailte Éireann; the proportion of those applications not yet assigned to an examiner; and the longest recorded waiting time before initial examination. [33066/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the formal criteria applied by Tailte Éireann when determining whether a first registration application qualifies for expedited processing; the number of expedition requests received in each of the past three years; and the proportion approved

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether time-sensitive financial circumstances, including risk to mortgage approval or drawdown, are recognised as grounds for expedition of first registration applications; and whether any formal policy guidance exists in this regard. [33068/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of first registration applications rejected or returned with requisitions more than once in each of the past three years; and whether Tailte Éireann has undertaken any review of systemic issues contributing to repeated

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any internal review has been conducted within Tailte Éireann regarding the consistency and clarity of requisitions issued to applicants in first registration cases; and whether guidance has been updated to reduce repeat submissions. [33070/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of examiners assigned to first registration applications within Tailte Éireann in each year from 2020 to 2026; and whether additional resources have been allocated to address current delays. [33071/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether formal performance targets exist for the processing of first registration applications within Tailte Éireann; and if so, the target timelines and current performance against those targets. [33072/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what reforms or digitalisation measures have been introduced since 2020 to improve the efficiency of first registration processing; and what measurable impact these measures have had on processing times. [33073/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage what oversight mechanisms are in place within his Department to monitor delays and service performance in Tailte Éireann; and whether any formal escalation framework exists for cases experiencing prolonged delays. [33074/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the nationality breakdown of adults recorded in emergency accommodation in each month from January 2024 to the most recent date available, including a breakdown by (i) Irish citizens, (ii) EU/EEA citizens

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether data is collected, either by his Department or by local authorities, on the immigration or legal status of persons in emergency accommodation, including categories such as (i) international protection applicants, (ii) beneficiaries of temporary

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons in emergency accommodation who are also in the international protection system, including those awaiting a decision on their application, in each of the past 12 months; and if he will make

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the gender breakdown of adults in emergency accommodation, including male, female and any other recorded categories, for each of the past 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33247/26

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the age profile of persons in emergency accommodation, including breakdowns by age cohorts (for example 18–24, 25–44, 45–64, 65+), for the most recent period available; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of persons in emergency accommodation by household type, including single adults, couples, and families with children, and the proportion of each category accounted for by Irish citizens and non-Irish nationals

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons in emergency accommodation for (i) less than 6 months, (ii) 6–12 months, (iii) 1–2 years, and (iv) more than 2 years, and whether such data is disaggregated by nationality

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the data collection framework used to compile official homelessness statistics, including whether standardised data fields exist across local authorities for nationality, immigration status, and household composition; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether nationality data is collected in respect of children in emergency accommodation; if not, the reason for this omission; and whether there are plans to introduce such data collection; and if he will make

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department engages with the Department of Justice, Home Affair and Migration, to align data on homelessness and international protection applicants, including shared datasets or reporting mechanisms; and if so, to outline the structure

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether there is variation between local authorities in the application of eligibility criteria, access thresholds, or data collection practices in respect of emergency accommodation; whether any national standardisation framework is in place

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department maintains a forward projection or demand model for emergency accommodation needs; if so, the assumptions underpinning that model, including population growth and migration-related factors; and if he will make a statement

Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of emergency accommodation provision by type, including hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, family hubs and other facilities; the proportion of total capacity each represents; and whether any policy exists to reduce reliance

Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a detailed breakdown of all gifts received in his capacity as Minister; the nature of these gifts and potential monetary value; the procedures followed in accepting gifts; and if he will make a statement

Migration whether a cross-departmental review has been undertaken into the interaction between international education policy, migration pathways, labour market needs and housing supply; and whether the Government is satisfied that these policies are sufficiently aligned. [31892/26

Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the procedures in place where an individual is removed from an IPAS accommodation centre due to breaches of house rules or behavioural issues, including the alternative arrangements, if any, that are made for such individuals; and to indicate whether data is maintained