I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I thank the Deputy for raising it and allowing me the opportunity to outline the position in respect of Irish Water's responsibility on this matter. The Water Services Acts 2007 to 2017 set out the arrangements in place for the delivery of water and wastewater services by Irish Water and the scrutiny and oversight provisions that apply in respect of these arrangements. As the Deputy will understand, the waste…

I once again thank Deputy Moynihan for raising the question on wastewater treatment infrastructure in Ballingeary, County Cork. The Deputy will understand that the progression of individual wastewater treatment plants and infrastructure is a matter for Irish Water and I can assure him the Government is committed to ensuring that substantial funding is provided to Irish Water. The programme for Government commits to funding Irish Water’s capital investment plan for water and wastewater infrastructure on a multi-annu…

I thank the Deputy for raising the Whitegate boil water notice issue. I apologise that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage is not present, and I am dealing with this matter on his behalf. The issue of safe drinking water has both national and local importance and I appreciate the Deputy's concern for those communities affected. I understand from inquiries made with Irish Water that the boil water notice currently in place for the Whitegate public water supply was issued on 29 October 2022 follow…

I thank the Deputy again. I appreciate his interest in this matter and I understand his frustration. I acknowledge the patience and the co-operation of the residents and businesses in the Whitegate area who have been affected. This is 9,500 people over prolonged periods of time. The Government’s priority is to ensure that people’s health is protected and that adequate water is available for all consumers. We all want to see the notice lifted without undue delay but only when the HSE and the EPA have confirmed that …

I thank the Deputy for quite rightly giving us the opportunity to have this discussion. It is more than six months since I travelled to Carrick-on-Shannon to meet with parents - from what I understand, they represented many more parents - and public representatives. HSE representatives were present at the meeting on the day. When I reflect on it, we had a very good conversation. There was real energy in the room. My script does not reflect what I am about to say.

It might reflect some of it but not all. We had a very good conversation in that room. I felt there was energy and pace in the room to find a solution. My goal in travelling was to find a solution for the people of County Leitrim, especially the people of south Leitrim, whose options were very limited. In fact, they had none. I acknowledge the role of local authority members who were present at that meeting. They were tasked with a job, which was to find a site and to see whether sites were available. All of a sudd…

I again thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to discuss this matter. It is also very important to recognise, when we talk about the HSE, that two, three or four different rule books are in operation. The operational side of the HSE has a different rule book from the estates side of the HSE. They go at two different paces and have two different ways of delivery. To be very fair to the director of services for the south Leitrim area, she wants nothing more than to ensure that there is plenty of adequate res…

My office staff have contacted HIQA to see if we can get that derogation. There is a good building there. There is a building that can be used by the families who need access to it. The funding is provided to allow Tullaghan go from five over seven to seven over seven. Funding is there as well to-----

There is also funding. If it is a fact that wheelchairs are an issue, there is choice. We need to ensure that everybody has fair and equitable access to services. The bus system issue has also been addressed. An issue raised at the meeting was that a bus would be provided. We have addressed the bus issue, we have gone to seven over seven, and we are waiting for HIQA to come back with a derogation for the site at Cloonamahon to be accessed and used in conjunction, while de-congregation is taking place at pace. That …

I take that on board.

I take the point.

I thank Deputy Buckley for raising the issue. I am taking it on behalf of the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Butler. I would also like to take this opportunity to reiterate my sincere sympathies to all those whose loved ones passed away in nursing homes, the one the Deputy raises here but nationwide as well, during the pandemic. I want to emphasise that quality care and patient safety is a priority for the Government, and the delivery of safe, high-quality services is of paramount importance …

I, again, thank the Deputy for raising this matter and being the voice of the families on whose behalf he stands here before us. I understand the significant particular impact that Covid-19 had on families who lost loved ones in nursing homes. My colleagues, the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, have met with some of these families and have heard first-hand of their experiences. We all remember how difficult that period was when visiting had to be restricted and when norma…

The Deputy will appreciate that I am taking this on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. As part of Housing for All, a newly expanded local authority home loan was launched in January 2022. Like previous local authority mortgages, such as its predecessor the Rebuilding Ireland home loan, it is a Government-backed mortgage for first-time buyers and other eligible applicants delivered through local authorities. The scheme provides mortgage financing for those who are unable to secure a s…

I thank the Deputy again. I have listened to the issues he has raised. Local authority mortgage lending has been successful to date. Between February 2018 and September 2022, approximately €517 million was drawn down by almost 3,100 borrowers through the Rebuilding Ireland home loan and the local authority home loan. Of this €517 million, €30 million was drawn down by 72 borrowers under the new local authority home loan up to September 2022. It is important to note the approval rate has no direct comparator in comm…

I thank the Deputy for tabling this Topical Issue matter. Again, I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Brien. The primary objective of Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 is to "ensure an adequate supply of housing for all sectors of the existing and future population". Accordingly, Part V allows local authorities to purchase a percentage of land, at less than the enhanced market value, and use it for social, affordable and cost rental housing. The Part V requirement is currently 2…

I thank the Deputy. Importantly, the Part V exemption supports compact growth and the first of the ten national strategic outcomes of the national planning framework. It is also critical to the transition to a low-carbon and climate-resilient society as outlined in the Climate Action Plan 2019. It underpins successful delivery of Housing for All in helping meet housing supply targets, incentivising the regeneration of small sites in towns and cities and making housing more affordable and sustainable in the longer t…

I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I am taking this on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman. We are conscious that the uncertainty regarding the burial place of many children who were resident at the former mother and baby institution in Bessborough is difficult for the families concerned. The investigation of burial arrangements in mother and baby institutions, including Bessborough, was an important part of the work of the Commission of Investigation into Mother and Baby Homes and Certain Related Mat…

I thank the Senator. In her opening remarks, I think she said there was a live application and that this has gone in. In the remarks I delivered on behalf of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, he has been clear about what he has done. He has engaged with all the local authorities and made it clear to them what he has set out. Without complete and utter interference, he has been clear about what is laid out in the context of the local authorities. While this is a live application, I assume that the planner looking at it…

I thank the Senator for giving me, on behalf of the Minister for Health, the opportunity to inform the House on the progress made to date in assisting doctors arriving from Ukraine to gain registration and employment in Ireland. She has raised a valuable issue. The Department of Health has been working closely with colleagues in the six health profession regulators to examine ways to support all Ukrainian health practitioners arriving in the State. The regulators fully recognise the importance of assisting these pr…