Think of the jobs, Deputy.

The Deputy is totally wrong. They hardly use water.

The Deputy is wrong.

I welcome this debate. It is a short debate and it is hard to get all the points across in the limited time we have. A significant change in Government policy is proposed here, which I support. I have been campaigning for a number of years for the compulsory purchase of vacant homes by local authorities and for a tax on empty homes. I welcome the commitment to introduce a new programme for the compulsory purchase of vacant properties for resale on the open market. The shining example of this work has been done by L…

Ardee town has been choked with traffic for decades. Fumes and heavy goods vehicles clog the town. It is critical that the bypass be built. Money has been allocated to it. How much funding has been spent to date, what are the timelines for commencement, and will the Minister make a statement on the matter?

I thank the Minister. The point is that people like Councillor Dolores Minogue, who is a former chairman of Louth County Council, have fought very hard for improved quality of life in Ardee. There has been significant investment in Ardee Castle and in urban regeneration. Clearly, the town is ready now having suffered greatly as a result of the recession and so on. For absolute clarity, is the Minister supporting the national development plan, NDP, inclusion of this road? It is in the plan. Will it be in the next pl…

I welcome the Minister's commitment to towns but I do not hear his absolute commitment to Ardee. I still hear ambiguity in what he is saying. As far as I am concerned as a backbencher in this Government, it is in the national development plan. That, to me, is sacrosanct and it cannot and must not be changed. The people of Ardee will not accept that it should be changed, after waiting decades for this development. It is a wonderful location with an awful lot to offer but the quality of life has been affected by the …

Drogheda is rapidly growing into a city. There is phenomenal growth in our town and over 40,000 people reside there now. In east Meath and south Louth there is huge growth in the population. Key and central to this growth is adequate and appropriate transport locally and nationally, and there are weekly applications - some very controversial - under strategic housing developments to An Bord Pleanála in that regard. What is the status of the plan to expand the DART to Drogheda, which was announced some years ago? I …

I welcome the commitment to extend the DART to Drogheda and I am meeting Jim Meade, the chief executive of Irish Rail, next week to discuss further plans they may have for that. It is absolutely critical that the Minister continues with the commitment that is there. I have no doubt he will be aware, as I am from listening to the radio this morning, of the backup of traffic in Julianstown coming from east Meath, Drogheda and south Louth trying to get to Dublin and indeed traffic coming from Dublin to get into that s…

That is very welcome. The key point is that Drogheda will become a major regional transport hub. Hopefully we will have a new station in north Drogheda, and Laytown itself will become a DART station. The frequency of commuter services between Dundalk and the whole north east will also be significantly improved by making Drogheda city a hub for rail transport.

There is a huge demand for affordable housing, which is in an increasing crisis with the rising cost of imported materials, such as steel, that cannot be supplied by the EU. Imports coming in from outside the EU are subject to a quota and also a 25% tariff. In this quarter, the quota for the quarter was exceeded on the very first day. A steel importer I am aware of had to pay Revenue €300,000 on that day. There will be jobs lost, prices will go up and homes will not be built because people cannot get steel at the p…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, to the House. As we are all aware, more than 2,000 people have died in our nursing homes due to Covid over the past 12 months or so, 1,000 of them, sadly, in the third wave. What is special about Dealgan House is that 23 residents died from Covid there in April 2020 and it is the only nursing home in the country, notwithstanding all the deaths elsewhere, that was taken over by the HSE. A serious, significant administrative decision was made to go in there and take it …

I am very disappointed by the Minister of State's response. I am offended by her comment that the pandemic has not concluded. It has concluded for these families; their family members are dead. The home was taken over by the HSE. There are serious questions about the management of the home. The Minister of State knows that as does the HSE and the hospital group. This week, Dr. Sarah Donnelley wrote in The Irish Times: "Now is the time for a comprehensive public inquiry involving a root-and-branch review and reform …

I welcome the Minister's statements, the Government's work and the HSE's work to provide vaccines and to reach out to people to ensure that the most vulnerable in society are dealt with fairly. I welcome the comments made today. I get a sense that all of us are working together to achieve the best for everybody. I raise the issue of people aged between 60 and 69. It is clear, as the Minister knows, from Dr. Holohan's letter, that about 75% of this group had received just one dose. Much work is left to be done. Ther…

I welcome this debate and the Minister's initiative, which is unique, special and important. This Bill will make provision of more affordable housing to ordinary people who would not otherwise be able to avail of it. That is why the Bill must pass and I support it. I will also comment on matters that may help increase the volume of affordable housing that can be made available. We can look at what is happening in local authorities. Louth County Council, for example, has used CPOs to obtain 100 abandoned houses to r…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for choosing this very important issue. I fully appreciate that Garda resources are a matter for the Garda Commissioner but people in east Meath are rightly very distressed and concerned. It is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. The Garda station was built 20 years ago to meet the needs of a population one quarter the size of the current population. The one thing all electoral areas in County Meath such as Trim, Kells, Ashbourne, Navan and Ratoath have in common is they all…

I welcome the final section of the reply of the Minister of State. The Geiran report was commissioned following the appalling and vile murders in the Drogheda area. Indeed, there were also murders in east Meath, including the execution of a person outside his front door. In addition, there are people missing, believed murdered, in the same general area. It is a significant issue. I welcome that reference was made to the Geiran report. That means the Commissioner is aware of the action he must take. He has listened …

Following the murder of Keane Mulready-Woods in Drogheda a year ago, there was a major Garda response that has been very successful, with a significant increase in the number of full-time gardaí in our town. At the same time an inquiry was set up by Mr. Vivian Geiran, the former head of the Probation Service, into what needs to change in our area to provide resources to beat criminals and put them away as long as possible. One of the resource issues identified was inadequate Garda support in east Meath, with more t…

We need action on the Geiran report. We need a full-time Garda station in east Meath.

All is not well in County Louth. I know people from other counties are praising the Minister but there is a serious problem in County Louth. More than 7,000 people have not received their vaccination appointments at the appropriate time. The HSE is dealing with the matter. What will happen on Monday and Tuesday is that 7,000 people from County Louth will have to go to The Helix in Dublin to get their vaccination. I welcome that because they will get the Janssen vaccination, which is a one-shot vaccine, and within 1…