Or new tenancies-----

Or new tenancies-----

Up to the gills-----

And new tenants-----

I also extend my sympathy to those affected by the school shooting in Austria. The Taoiseach was right about one thing; I did not expect these proposals. That is because at no stage in recent months, weeks or even today, until the press release was issued earlier, was there any mention by Government in all its spin that what it is actually introducing here - and the Taoiseach has not even acknowledged it himself in his comments as he seems to be ashamed of it, and rightly so - is that every six years, rent regulati…

The Taoiseach can talk about his 2%, inflation and all the rest of it but if people are going to face astronomical rent increases they cannot afford every six years, Government will drive more people into homelessness. In a country where rents are already incredibly high - among the highest in Europe - the Taoiseach will only make things worse. Will he admit that in the last bullet point of his press release issued today, he is allowing full rent increases up to any level - up to market levels - across the board to…

Time and again, we have put forward proposals to increase supply and financing, most recently with regard to leveraging some of the savings on deposit in Ireland and incentivising how they could be invested in housing. Pension funds in other countries invest in housing that is affordable. The Government is creating a system in which rents just go up and up, beyond people's reach. That is the difference. The Government's press release from just over an hour ago states, "All landlords will have the right to reset ren…

What controls and monitoring are in place for the runaway train of public money being used to outsource and privatise public services?

I thank the Minister for the answer, which was really about the industrial relations processes around agreements and outsourcing. I am asking what financial controls and monitoring are in place. There is a myriad of examples of what should be public services being outsourced with detrimental outcomes for the users. We saw this week the National Treatment Purchase Fund has created perverse incentives. There are hundreds of examples of these. Emergency care for vulnerable teenagers is one. There are private companies…

As Minister with overall responsibility for public expenditure and reform, does the Minister see a role for himself in this? This is happening across Departments. I will provide another example, namely, homeless emergency accommodation by private providers. Some are making huge profits and in some instances are providing emergency accommodation where there are bloodstains on the sheets and where people who stay there report being assaulted or robbed by staff who are not properly trained. We see it in social care an…

An update on the ethics in public office legislation was promised in the programme for Government in 2020. It never happened. The Minister's Department concluded its review in December 2022. We were promised heads of a Bill but have never seen them. It is now two and a half years later. When will those heads of Bill be published?

I thank the Minister for his reply but we are going backwards here. The review was concluded by his Department well over two years ago. We should have seen heads of Bill at this stage. His predecessor, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, who I know the Minister works closely with, told this House a year ago that "we are nearly done in respect of the drafting of the heads of the Bill and I hope to be in a position to bring that to Government shortly.". A year ago, the Minister's predecessor was saying this work was almost finis…

I thank the Minister. However, I do not understand how his predecessor, the current Minister for Finance, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, who is perfectly competent and able, was in a position to tell the Dáil a year ago that the heads of Bill was almost ready to be published and he was hoping to bring it to Government very shortly. How was it possible for Deputy Donohoe to do that a year ago only for the Minister to now come into the House to say there is a whole load of other work that needs to be done? The review by his…

Disability services in this country are chaotic and threadbare. Families of children with additional needs have to fight for the very basics. All they want for their children is to be able to access an education and appropriate services and a chance for them to fulfil their potential. The very first step for most is to get an assessment of need and there are now over 15,000 children who have been waiting more than the legal time limit of six months for assessments. I have met children - I am sure the Tánaiste has a…

I asked the Tánaiste whether he would confirm what the Taoiseach said last week, which was that there had been indecision from the Government on this and that it could not agree over the past three years. I believe he implied in his answer that the Government had not been able to agree what to do. He is saying there need to be reforms to legislation but it is three years since the High Court judgment. That judgment was very good in terms of vindicating the rights of children with disabilities and additional needs. …

I recognise the work the Government has done in support for UNRWA and the International Court of Justice and in recognising the State of Palestine, which it did on this day one year ago. There is, however, much more that needs to be done. After the last 12 months, it is unclear how much longer the State of Palestine will actually exist on the map. An entire people, its culture and place are being methodically and systematically erased by Israel. Israel's genocidal campaign of death and devastation has continued for…

This applies to all State institutions, including the Central Bank. We must act to stop this genocide. The Taoiseach must act and act now.

What is he going to do to stop the sale of these bonds?

I do not take away from anything the Taoiseach just said but I asked him about the sale of bonds being facilitated by the Central Bank of Ireland. It is very clear that these bonds are being used to fund the genocide. The Taoiseach has recognised that genocide is taking place and he has an obligation under the Genocide Convention to do everything he can to stop that genocide. The fact is that the genocide is being financed, in part, by bonds being authorised by the Central Bank of Ireland. Clearly, that has to stop…

Will the Taoiseach do that? Will he answer that question? I am not taking from anything else he is saying or doing but in relation to bonds and the financing of this genocide, will the Taoiseach do everything he can to stop it?