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Others have said that and Deputy Fitzmaurice mentioned it. Water, energy and transport systems are the foundations that drive overall delivery and economic development, whether it is in housing or other areas. By doing this we send a clear and unambiguous signal to the entire system that … designating projects can only work if restraint is exercised in the designation. Designating too many projects will not allow the licensing, consenting and planning bodies to effectively prioritise. It is intended that the process of identifying which projects or programmes are designated and subject to accelerated consideration will

than ever before will qualify. The Deputy will remember that in the most recent budget, we took decisions that mean the means test exemption, which had applied to people over the age of 70, will now apply to people from the age of 66. I want people … took the decision and have implemented it, and that makes a difference to people’s bills. Under the national development plan, only before the summer recess we allocated €3.5 billion to EirGrid because we have got to get better in terms of our energy supply in this country

national transport plan in terms of infrastructure and housing delivery. Housing delivery will depend on infrastructure delivery. I am acutely aware of planning considerations. South Dublin County Council is looking at 10,000 to 18,000 new zonings for housing. That will be dependent on DART+ South West … with the Minister for public expenditure and the Minister for climate and transport, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to ensure we can underpin the development of DART+ South West. We can make progress on that to give the certainty that the council, Deputy Moynihan and the people

Homes, Building Communities, my Department is undertaking a review of the operation of existing local authority financial contribution schemes. Policy responses will be developed on foot of the findings of this review, which is currently under way. The work under way at the moment is with the Housing … Agency to advance a review of the financial contribution schemes operated by some local authorities. As part of the Delivering Homes, Building Communities plan, which follows on from a commitment in the programme for Government, we have a specific action, that is, to review the operation of existing

acknowledge. For context, this is a six-fold increase over the past decade. Although this is a significant level of funding, the estimated development finance required to deliver 50,000 homes is a substantial €20 billion every year. The Housing Commission and the Department of Finance have advised … that can protect renters. What this motion fails to acknowledge is that this system is already in place. The Housing for All action plan update published in November 2022 includes a commitment to "review the operation of the private rental sector and report on policy considerations

agree on the rules and have a rules-based system, enforcement is the most important part because in any situation, if you develop and put in place rules but then ignore or do not enforce them, you do not have rules at all. That will be exploited … capacity and service availability and not on who can profit the most and the fastest. We are calling on the Government to end planning exemptions for this type of accommodation, to access local services and to engage properly with communities. Ireland must support integration properly from the ground

Ireland accepting referrals from GPs directly and from consultants. The system ensures early access for women with suspected or confirmed endometriosis, who are exempt from the standard referral criteria. This integrated model allows for streamlined cross-referrals between fertility and endometriosis services, thereby ensuring women receive timely … physiotherapists and psychologists, are being funded to provide a holistic service. Other developments in the provision in gynaecology service will support healthcare provisions. Eighteen gynaecology see-and-treat clinics are already operational, with more in development. Six specialist menopause clinics are currently operational for those women who require

response to the many points made. As Deputy O'Gorman said, we have to be accurate in what we say. This legislation is exempt from section 15 of the climate action Act. It is of critical importance to acknowledge that in the first instance. Otherwise, we are beating … that nature in respect of legislation does not help. I listened with real interest to a DAA spokesperson commenting on balanced regional development and the importance of other regional airports. He said that airlines simply do not want to use the other airports and that

years to repair our water system. This is something we have failed to adequately address. It is crucial, not only for our economic development but also for the basic amenity of being able to swim in open water. I always find it a bit strange that we almost … installation of anaerobic digestion tanks at water treatment plants around the country. I would also like the Government to come forward with planning exemptions for critical infrastructure such as for water treatment, because we have a significant issue with excessive infiltration of the Shannon when the river

conducted at the NAS station in Drogheda in December 2021. The HSA report highlighted some shortcomings at the station and an improvement plan was put in place to address the report's recommendations. Improvement works were completed in early 2023 at a cost of €110,000 and included … storage. Subsequently, in late 2023, the roof of a structure at the rear of the station, which was used as a storage area, developed a leak. Some initial repairs were carried out to address the issue, but the leak persisted. In response, the roof was replaced in October

private sector is often unfairly scapegoated. Builders who contribute to communities are too easily vilified by the Opposition, which treats for-profit developers with suspicion and casts international investors as villains, but facts matter. Mitchell McDermott has reported a 24% drop in apartment completions. The reason … seeing the benefit in detailed, deliverable measures: zoning more residential land before Christmas, extensions to planning permissions delayed by costs or judicial reviews, and exemptions for modular homes on family land to provide flexible housing for older parents and younger generations. Many critics have laughed at the idea

part of the work permit application. This is a welcome development that will reduce processing times. Work is ongoing to introduce a single permit application portal but this is a medium-term action as IT developments are required. My Department is also engaging with the Road Safety Authority … training, they do not need to resit module 2. Over 600 drivers have engaged with the RSA to avail of this exemption with approximately 150 exemptions granted and 50 applications being processed. Officials in the Department will continue to engage with the RSA to consider best practice examples

High Court delivered a judgment that quashed the section 5 planning exemption granted for Dundrum House Hotel. The ruling confirmed what local communities have been saying for over a year, that there is no legal or planning basis for an IPAS centre at this site. The certificate underpinning … House Hotel is non-compliant. We know that more than 20 IPAS contracts have already been terminated this year for non-compliance with planning, building or fire regulations. Why is Dundrum House Hotel allowed to operate continually like this when it is in this category? Continuing to fund

people were waiting for this nursing home to come along. What happened? A developer flipped the property and said he was going to put 400 people into it. That was the plan. It caused absolute chaos in the village and there was cross-party opposition … Court ordered the centre, which was basically an unauthorised centre, to be shut down. It issued a quashing order in respect of the planning exemption granted to the hotel. That was another very good example, and vindication for the residents and all the groups. It was cross-party

national housing plan includes commitments to work with local authorities in a number of ways, including the introduction of dedicated older people social housing annual targets in each local authority's housing delivery action plan. This is something on which I am very strong. The plan commits … suit their needs within the home, perhaps by converting their homes into separate living spaces, we will support that. We are looking at planning exemptions in this area to support greater choice. It is all about providing choices to older people that they can avail

average rents for existing renters, 83% of whom are in rent pressure zones, rose by 4.6%. Some of this is because of the exemptions in the RPZs but I have no doubt that a large volume of it is because of non-compliance. Worse still, when daft.ie published … sector investment but there is a particular category of private sector investor who is only interested in high-price, high-yield, high-density developments in expensive parts of Dublin and, possibly although not guaranteed, in the docklands of Cork, where rents will be set at a level even

additional review and approval processes to ensure that recruitment activity is aligned with service priorities and available funding. Those roles should be exempt from recruitment restrictions. Rather than simply announcing additional posts, I want the Government to tell us what adequate staffing actually looks like. I want … International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, IBCLC, qualification. However, the IBCLC is an internationally recognised specialist lactation qualification. Why should someone who has developed that specialist expertise necessarily have to be a nurse or a midwife before the HSE can employ them as a lactation consultant

sure we are all relieved that so far pharmaceuticals and chemicals have been exempted from the 20% tariff imposed on exports to the USA from the EU. However, reports are now suggesting that President Trump will be introducing tariffs on these sectors. While tariffs are usually seen … tariffs are not yet known. The fact that pharma has not been hit with these tariffs gives us the space to put contingency plans in place and make sure supports are put in place for workers and industry. However, this needs to be done quickly

awful lot of fundraising to keep themselves going, and I am glad the Minister has clarified that they will be exempted from this. I also welcome the fact the RAIU is going to be put on a statutory footing. That is very important. We are very lucky … going to have more extreme heat. The RAIU, and for Iarnród Éireann as the operator, should make sure they have a proper national plan in case speed restrictions are required. When we are speaking about safety on the railways, it is important to talk about the continual need

delivery has prevented the realisation of such ageing-at-home policies. I note that the EU care strategy - there was a national action plan for 2023-24 to respond to that strategy - looks at that visionary, end-to-end system of care, where we recognise that across … example, the exemption from regulation, as we heard, of service providers with three or less clients. The pre-legislative scrutiny report recommended that all State-funded services should be covered by this legislation and the associated regulations but this was not accepted. This exemption presents potential risks

when the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council published its latest assessment and highlighted the need for anchoring down our public finances and our taxation plans in a multi-economic framework, the idea that Sinn Féin would propose this without any reference to that is interesting in itself. Of course … that is one of the things we did. The second thing we did was to reduce the cost of building apartments, not for developers but for people to live in them. I remind Deputy Doherty that funnily enough people cannot live in homes if they are not built

than in the rule. He stated: We knew the story of the international rules-based order was partially false. That the strongest would exempt themselves when convenient. That trade rules were enforced asymmetrically. And we knew that international law applied with varying rigour depending on the identity … between the United States and the European Union. The fact is that the industrial policy of recent, successive Governments and our failure to develop a strong enough indigenous sector to complement our strong foreign direct investment sector, as well as diversifying in terms of markets and exports

Vision for Agriculture and Food. The Government has provided the highest ever level of cofinancing for Pillar 2 rural development in the plan for 2023 to 2027. Pillar 2 includes interventions aimed at improving the economic and environmental sustainability of livestock farming, for example, the €250 million … guiding principle for us. The implementation of the CAP strategic plan, CSP, has continued with close consultation with all the relevant stakeholders, who regularly have opportunities to comment on the progress. While broadly speaking the plan is performing well, its implementation has not been without challenges in some

want to single out one sector over another, but there is an elephant in the room. We know that the nitrates directive exemption has been extended again. Ireland was straining to make those arguments. In the context of the Boyne, agriculture was the top significant pressure impacting … that. Responsible politicians who show leadership have responsible, mature and informed conversations with the people they represent. Regarding many of the measures and plans put in place now by the agencies to better manage our water ways, we are doing those with one hand tied behind our back

middle in terms of why this is going to increase investment in the rental sector. This is because the plan is to raise rents. Every time the Government is asked this, it tries to wriggle away from it and say that there are lots of things. The fundamental … Minister who is listening to the Opposition and is going to protect students. The headline in The Irish Times was "Minister wants exemptions to new rent rules to be considered for students sharing houses". It continues: "Students should not be 'inadvertently disadvantaged' by the new regime, says spokesman