How much longer have we for the debate?

I will speak to a few of my amendments relating to the national planning framework and its objectives. In many ways, what we as a country set as our objectives in the national planning framework could not be more important as it speaks to the type of country in which we will live in future years. This is at the crux of the planning system. I want one of the objectives in our national planning framework to be substantially reversing negative trends and indicators in respect of biodiversity loss, water quality, air q…

That is delusional.

I am.

In the previous election, the Government promised it would deliver 10,000 affordable homes each and every year. Not only did it fail to deliver on this promise, but it failed to meet the much more modest targets it set last year, when only 499 affordable purchase homes were actually delivered. The Minister promised when we previously had oral questions that he would answer my priority question. Why has the Government not provided the early-stage finance that is so badly needed to ensure that more affordable purchas…

I am specifically asking about affordable purchase homes because of the lack of early-stage finance to get projects off the ground. The last time I attended oral questions on housing, the Minister said he would answer the question the next time. He has shown disregard for that. If I did not know better, I would think he has shown favouritism and bias towards Sinn Féin by answering its questions-----

-----but not ours. I said if I did not know better.

When the Minister took office, there was a successful, viable model of how to deliver affordable purchase housing. Ó Cualann was building high-quality homes at prices that families on middle incomes could afford. For example, three-bedroom, A2-rated semi-detached homes at Dun Emer, Lusk, were available for €258,000. Instead of expanding this model of housing delivery, the Government has done its very best to scupper it. For several years now, Ó Cualann has been crying out for early-stage finance so it can get its p…

I asked about early-stage finance. Will the Minister of State please answer the question?

I am asking the Minister of State about early stage finance to get the affordable purchase homes we need. He is not answering. He clearly cannot answer and the Minister who can answer is sitting beside him and will not answer the question, which is completely unacceptable. I will read from correspondence sent to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, recently by the Ó Cualann Cohousing Alliance. It reads: Dublin City Council (DCC) supported by the Dept of Housing can fund a Hong Kong based, mega wealthy developer to build 5…

Is the Minister of State going to say anything about early stage finance? That is what my question is about. Does he have anything to say about it?

It is for providing early stage finance for affordable purchase homes.

Then why are these not getting off the ground?

If the Minister wants to answer, he should go on and answer.

I have just asked the question here now and you will not answer it.

No answer has been given.

I wish to ask the Tánaiste about the children's disability network teams, CDNTs. Madison Maher is seven years old. She lives on the northside of Dublin. Maddie has an autism diagnosis. She is non-verbal and has a moderate learning disability. Maddie's assessment of need was carried out when she was just three years old. Since then, she has not been offered any of the necessary supports from the CDNT. She is on a waiting list for speech and language therapy, a waiting list for occupational therapy and a waiting list…

I was not asking the Tánaiste about assessments of need.

I was giving the Tánaiste the specific example of a child who was assessed, referred to a CDNT and has been waiting for half her life and got no supports and none of the services or therapies she needs. She is now in severe difficulty as a result. I ask if the Tánaiste can answer this question. He has said 165 job offers have been made.

This is out of 800 additional posts that he said were approved. With 700 existing vacancies, 165 job offers are not going to cut it. Maddie has waited half her life for the supports she urgently needs. She is suffering as a result of the lack of intervention. She is now likely to need surgery as a result. She cannot afford to wait any longer. Thousands of children are in the same situation and being referred to CDNTs that seem to not exist and promised services that fail to materialise. When are these children goin…