I thank the Labour Party. While I do not agree with parts of what it is proposing, I appreciate anyone trying to do anything about housing. I thank the Minister for all the work he has done but I must tell him that there is more to be done to get this off the ground. Regarding what is being proposed, it would not be fair to stop landlords from selling their houses. Surely if they own a house, they have the right to sell it or give it to a family member if that person comes of a certain age and wants a house to live…

I am glad to get the opportunity to talk about this very important matter. It affects issues from west Cork to Kerry, Dingle to Cahersiveen, and all the way up the west of Ireland to Donegal. Deputies Collins, Ferris and I met with the former Minister, Deputy Creed, when he was introducing the statutory instrument. He did not listen to us. Gladly, Pat the Cope Gallagher, the Minister's former fellow Deputy from County Donegal, annulled the statutory instrument but when the Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, got into…

They will not ring you anyway.

The Government is doing nothing about forestry.

While I do not think that changing the name of the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement will help, if more staff are employed, properly trained in the role they are supposed to carry out, I believe that will help. We all know what the banks did, including Anglo Irish Bank. I know fellows who cried, grown men, and the fellows in charge of it got away. We all know what Bank of Ireland and AIB did going back to when they advised their customers to put their money into overseas accounts. I know one man who n…

All right. I should also mention that corporate enforcement did not always help people when someone got into trouble and went bankrupt. They did not help the people on the ground who lost their money, maybe sums of €20,000, €60,000, €70,000, €80,000 or €90,000. Instead, it went on the side of the developer or businessman who went broke and helped them more than the ordinary people who lost all the money they were owed. I have no problem in the world in backing that statement up anywhere.

If Deputy Michael Healy-Rae has an interest, then I have an interest too, since we are supposed to be brothers. I am very concerned about the housing situation and have become even more so as the days have gone on since the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, put his Bill, which I voted for, through the Dáil. I have serious concerns about this new programme because I think there is only one way to build houses or to get houses built. That is to give the money to the local authorities, buy the sites and build the hous…

I wish to raise with the Tánaiste a very urgent, serious problem that has erupted for the people of Bunane, Kenmare and on the west Cork side, Glengarriff and Bantry. A serious problem has arisen whereby Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, proposes to close the N71 Caha Pass tunnel between Cork and Kerry for ten weeks from 4 November. Everyone appreciates the work it proposes to carry out to stabilise part of the roof of the tunnel. That work needs to be done but the timing is wrong. We all know that the country…

These type of vehicles have never been able to get through this tunnel, as either the ceiling of the tunnel needs to be raised in a few places or the floor must be lowered.

The height needed is 3.8 m, but the present signage indicates a maximum height of 3.5 m.

It makes common sense to not start the works until the end of November. The men working on the tunnel will be inside the tunnel so the weather will not matter to them. The other issue is that now that the tunnel is going to be closed at that time, the works that should have been done many years ago to raise the roof from 3.5 m in a few places to 3.8 m. must be done urgently. Deputy Griffin is interrupting me and hurting the people of south Kerry and west Cork while I am speaking to the Tánaiste for the few minutes …

We have machinery now to cut rock and to do the necessary works, and now is the time to do it-----

-----but I am asking TII not to start the works until the end of November.

Councillor Johnny Healy-Rae has tried so many times and there were appeals but I appeal to the Tánaiste to sort it out now.

I was not let in for the transport questions.

I would not have been let in.

I am being shouted down.

We were only allowed one slot and Deputy Michael Collins availed of the slot this morning.

Nobody is saying that I did not want to raise it. He is only being nasty.

Deputy Griffin is only being political and he is only blackguarding me.