I object in the strongest possible terms that here we are yet again at the end of a Dáil term seeing important planning legislation being rushed through without sufficient time for scrutiny. The current Bill allows for the concentration of power into the hands of the Minister when it comes to the appointment of members of An Bord Pleanála. It brings us back to the situation we got rid of in 1983 for very good reasons. It is highly regressive. This is not the way we should be doing Dáil business. Is the Taoiseach aw…

There are 45 minutes for 41 amendments.

It is notable how little time the Government has spent defending its record on housing. Instead, it has used most of the time to talk about any other issue or attack the Opposition. That says a lot. Someone who contacted me yesterday said, regarding the motion of confidence in the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage: I am 45 in January and I am living back in my childhood bedroom. I have zero chance of ever getting a home of my own. I'll be homeless when my parents pass. I work and have two children…

As the Minister will be aware, the population of Beaumont's catchment area has expanded massively since the hospital first opened, in 1987. While the healthcare staff in the emergency department do tremendous work in stressful and challenging conditions, the promise of a much-needed new and expanded emergency department has not been honoured to date. When can we expect work on the new, expanded emergency department to start?

I thank the Minister for the reply. The people I talk to in my constituency every week, many of whom are elderly, tell me that despite the excellent work done by the staff in the emergency department, they are left waiting for hours in overcrowded conditions. They can be left on chairs and may not even be able to get a trolley. Elderly people who go into the emergency department in the morning may not get out until 6 a.m. the next day. These are intolerable conditions. Promises have been made over the years. The de…

I thank the Minister for the reply. When the hospital and its emergency department opened, the population in the area was much smaller. There has been significant growth in the population of the catchment area of Beaumont over the years, and that is one reason the works are very much overdue. They need to be progressed as quickly as possible as one element of the infrastructure needed at the hospital. It is important. The conditions, mainly affecting older people, can be intolerable. Patients tell me the hospital i…

It is 45 minutes.

The way the Government is handling this legislation confuses me as it is unclear to me what it has absolute contempt for. Is it absolute contempt for the legislative process, democracy and the idea of pre-legislative scrutiny by the Oireachtas committee and scrutiny by the Dáil? Is it absolute contempt for the environment, water and biodiversity? Is it absolute contempt for compliance with EU directives on the environment? In which of those three aspects does the Government have no interest whatsoever, or is it all…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. Based on what she said, there is a lack of a sense of urgency on this. There is a sense of complacency. I will talk about the housing aspect of this issue and how this is affecting the shortage and the crisis we have in teaching staff. It is not just affecting those in the education sector but key workers in healthcare and across our society. I will say one thing about the Minister of State's comments with regard to housing. People, teachers and other key workers who …

There are local authorities saying they will not do any more tenant in situ purchases without proper guidance issuing from the Government on it. I ask the Taoiseach about district heating systems and communal heating systems. I have raised them with him before. The Government has said no one should be cut off this winter. Figures I have been given show 20% of tenants on prepay meters with district heating systems have now been cut off. They are without heat and hot water. Regulation in the future is all well and go…

What about those with district heating systems?

I join with others in welcoming everyone in the Gallery and everyone watching these proceedings. I wish to make several points, the first following on from where Deputy Ó Ríordáin finished in respect of ensuring this never happens again. This afternoon, we had representatives from the National Building Control and Market Surveillance Office, NBCMSO, the National Standards Authority of Ireland and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage before the Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Her…

Earlier this year, during questions, I raised with the Minister of State the problem of the RTB failing to assist tenants in terrible situations, and with some very genuine complaints about landlords, when it cites a lack of proof of a landlord's address as a reason not to take action. The Minister of State promised that if I followed up and sent him details, he would pursue the matter with the RTB. I sent the details but never heard back from the Minister of State on the matter. I ask again will he take action wit…

I appreciate the answer outlining what the RTB can do in these situations but the issue is what it is not doing in these situations. I want to raise one specific example with the Minister of State, which was documented by Laoise Neylon in the Dublin Inquirer this week, about a landlord who, at times, has been operating under the fake name of John White. In 2010 the Irish Independent reported that this landlord was jailed for contempt of court for failing to comply with council instructions on fire safety. In July 2…

I thank the Minister of State for that answer. That offer was made about 6 months ago and I followed up and wrote to the Minister and I did not get any response on it. There is no point in saying that repeatedly if there will not be a follow up. I do not want the Minister of State to comment on a specific case but I want him to say if he thinks there is an issue with the RTB failing to act when there are clear and multiple proofs of address and it still will not act. The director of the RTB, Niall Byrne, acknowledg…

What about when they do not do so?

Is the Government aware that people who are reliant on district heating systems are paying exorbitant prices, well above the high prices being paid by everyone else? While district heating systems are sustainable and should be encouraged and promoted, they are placing a major financial burden on residents. This is not acceptable. I will give an example of the exorbitant costs. In one area in my constituency residents estimate that the cost of taking a shower is €12. Households that have cut down sharply on the use …

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive reply. There is much useful information in that and that I had not received to date, so I am grateful for it and it is helpful. I understand that in a normal situation things take time and go through processes, and before the current crisis this would have made sense. The issue I have is that the current crisis around how commercial gas rates have increased and with prices being at a much higher rate than residential gas rates, this has left people in district hea…

I want to ask the Taoiseach about the very serious risk of energy poverty faced by those who rely on district heating and who pay exorbitant prices for it. In one area of my constituency, residents estimate it now costs €12 to take a shower. Households are no longer taking showers as a result; they are washing with basins of hot water. They have no alternatives and cannot opt for another provider. They are in a prepay system. If in arrears of more than €10, they are cut out. This means some residents are now living…

It appears from the Tánaiste's comments that he is not aware of how seriously the housing disaster is affecting people. Is he not aware that Dublin is the most expensive capital city in the European Union in which to rent according to the OECD and EUROSTAT? Since this Government took office, rents and house prices have reached record levels, as have the number of people living in emergency accommodation for homeless people and the number of people in their 20s and 30s still living in their childhood bedrooms. At th…