If it is okay with the Deputy, I will not go into the specifics of the meeting that happened the day before yesterday. It was a positive meeting. The Department and the local authority are working together to deal with some clarifications. I say clarifications rather than issues. This is not unique. We have had submissions from counties Mayo, Clare and Limerick. They are detailed with a lot of information. There are costs, engineering reports and other matters that need to be looked at. There is nothing that I can …

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter again. It is a serious one and I am familiar with it because the Deputy has raised it a number of times. To move away from the standard answer on this and give the Deputy the facts as they stand, I have engaged with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, as has my Department, to make every effort to ensure that those dwellings in St. Helen’s Court are referred to be secured for social housing. AHBs have engaged directly also on several occasions with the owners’ representa…

I am aware of the history of this and a lot of this predates me, let us be straight about it.

For the record of the House, I want to be clear that I am speaking in general terms. Where it is found that anyone has misled the RTB in their intentions, the RTB has powers to investigate, move forward and prosecute. I will personally engage with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown again following the question tabled by the Deputy. He tabled questions in May and we answered questions last December, to be fair. He continues to advocate on behalf of these tenants. Local authorities will, in extremis , purchase homes with tenants…

I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett. To reiterate, I know this is a serious situation for the families who are worried about whether they will have a home in a number of months' time. At my direction, we sought to buy or lease those units. We will go back again following the Deputy's representation here today. Once I have an update, I will engage with the Deputy directly. I am open to using innovative methods to house people. We have shown in the first 18 months what we intend to do. We are very serious about providing per…

I thank the Deputy for his ongoing representations on behalf of the community in Crossbarry. As he said, on 21 September last year I announced allocations under a new multi-annual capital investment programme which was developed to provide a water infrastructure resolution programme for 2019-2021. That will allow a progressive resolution of housing estates with developer-provided water infrastructure. It will enable us to take the infrastructure and estates into charge. The focus of the first multi-annual programme…

Following the Deputy's question, I will endeavour to expedite the review of the submission that we received on 22 October. I am expecting that in the coming weeks. As he knows, I will visit his constituency very shortly and will endeavour to have an update around that time. A detailed review of a number of projects is being carried out, which includes how the pilot project worked and how it could potentially be extended. We need a more robust scheme, to be frank. The Minister of State, Deputy Burke, alluded to that…

The Deputy can be assured that I am acutely aware of the issue in Crossbarry thanks to his representations to me. There are, unfortunately many towns and villages like Crossbarry across the country that need resolutions to this issue, including those that have deficient wastewater infrastructure or do not have any wastewater infrastructure at all. I can assure the Deputy that we will move as quickly as we can on this. The review is detailed and needs to be carried out. The submission involves a technical review and…

I am pleased to have the opportunity to introduce Second Stage of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021 to the Seanad. I thank the Cathaoirleach and the Members for facilitating early debate on this very important Bill. As the House will be aware, the Programme for Government - Our Shared Future committed to not extending the strategic housing development, SHD, planning arrangements, which were introduced under the previous Government's Rebuilding Ireland action pl…

I thank the Senators who contributed in a positive way - Senators Cummins, Moynihan, Malcolm Byrne, Warfield, McDowell, Black and Conway and my good friend and colleague, Senator Casey. I have taken note of the points they raised. I have always been convinced that the best place for planning is with the local authorities. We must resource them to do that work. Every Senator, including Senator McDowell, referenced local authorities as the best place for planning. I agree with Senator Conway that SHDs were introduced…

Sinn Féin supported the affordable housing legislation.

This is the sound bite nonsense.

It supports it.

That is not true. Deputy McDonald should withdraw that remark.

The Deputy takes everything from the Daily Mail .

The Deputy supported it.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “notes that: — the Government is fully committed to tackling high rents and ensuring an increase in the supply of affordable high-quality accommodation for purchase or rent, including through continued significant capital investment; — under Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland, the Government is providing an unprecedented level of capital investment in housing, a total of €20 billion until 2026; — the Plan se…

It would do that. That is fine but come out and say it. What is the party's alternative for those 1,300 families next year? I have shown a pathway out of leasing and I have shown the way in which we are going to increase our social housing delivery to a level never seen before in this State, starting in 2022. Sinn Féin has also said, in predictable criticisms that have been put forward here this evening and previously, that the Government does nothing for renters. I have covered some of what we are doing already bu…

Mr. Angry is at it again. He might just show me a little bit of courtesy by letting me speak.

He does not like what I am saying but he should not interrupt me. I will not be bullied by him. I welcome the fact-----