These resolutions are to fix the serious flaws in the financial resolutions brought forward on budget night. Those mistakes the Government made just a few weeks ago were highlighted to it on budget night but it ploughed ahead regardless with its flawed financial resolutions. The effect of the resolutions before us today will be to put more money into the pockets of developers. This is another example of the policy capture of the Government by developers and their lobbyists. People are struggling to keep food on the…

This is quite extraordinary. A tribunal was set up in 1997 and millions of euro of public money is going in to paying expenses related to that tribunal in this Revised Estimate this year. The person responsible for answering questions to the Oireachtas about this, the Taoiseach, refused to come to the finance committee to answer questions. He did refuse, because we wrote to him and we said we would accommodate him at any time or date that suits him. The Taoiseach has not come to our committee. He has declined to co…

Yes, and the Taoiseach should have come to the committee to do that. I have asked the Minister of State my questions on it and I want answers on it.

That is exactly correct.

It was never made by the committee.

There was never any decision.

What is the detailed breakdown?

It is a fair question. We asked for a detailed breakdown.

It is a fair question. I asked for a detailed breakdown. This is millions in public money. Deputy Nash and I asked a fair question. Where is the detailed breakdown?

The Minister of State has failed to answer the question again.

No.

So the Minister of State knew on Thursday and could have told us on Thursday.

Who told us on Thursday that-----

Met Éireann has issued a status yellow weather warning for ten counties, with temperatures expected to fall to -3°C in parts of the country. People are now facing freezing conditions with some of the highest heating bills in Europe. The Government had a clear opportunity in the budget to target energy credits to those who need them the most. Instead, it decided to scrap them outright leaving vulnerable households afraid to turn the heating on. It is as if the cost-of-living crisis was forgotten about and ended by F…

It shows the worst-off are worse-----

Will the Tánaiste answer my question about poverty?

There is absolutely no reason for the Government to abandon questions to the Taoiseach and accountability by the leader of the country today. Why is the Taoiseach not taking questions as he should be today? Just because of events, it should not mean abandoning Leaders' Questions and Questions on Policy or Legislation. There is no reason for the Taoiseach not to take questions.

On behalf of the Social Democrats, I extend sympathies to Deputy Lawlor. Fine Gael has been in government for nearly 15 years. That is 15 years of promises, plans and press conferences with Ministers donning hard hats, 15 years spent turning the housing crisis into a housing disaster. Under the Tánaiste's watch, house prices have almost doubled, skyrocketing rents have more than doubled and the number of people who are homeless has increased by more than 400%. This morning Fine Gael's fourth housing plan was launch…

Fine Gael promised 40,000 homes in the last election campaign. That was a complete and utter fabrication and now it is making its annual housing target disappear because it cannot stand over its record and it does not want accountability on it. Since Fine Gael took office, rents and house prices have soared to record levels, home ownership levels have collapsed and now more than 5,200 children are growing up without a home. That is more than the overall number of people who were homeless when Fine Gael took office.…

Why will the Minister for housing not be here this evening?