I move: That Dáil Éireann, in accordance with section 8(3)(a) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Act 2003, as amended, appoints Deputy Seán Sherlock to be an ordinary member of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission in place of Deputy Duncan Smith who has resigned his office in accordance with the aforementioned section 8.

I move: That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to section 4(2)(f)(iv) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Acts 2003 to 2018, hereby authorises the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to defend Workplace Relations Commission proceedings against a member of Dáil Éireann entitled: ADJ-00035230, and which proceedings arise solely out of the performance by the member concerned of their parliamentary functions as a member of Dáil Éireann.

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for sharing his time with me on this very important Bill. I also thank the Simon Communities of Ireland, with which I engaged on this Bill, and Wayne Stanley in particular for unifying many parties on both sides of the House on this critical issue. It is a very reasonable proposal which I hope the Government will seriously consider progressing and supporting. As mentioned by my colleagues in the Opposition, the Bill very simply aims to identify people at risk of homeles…

I wholeheartedly welcome the indefinite tenure measures in this Bill. I have submitted three amendments in total to the Bill. Amendment No. 24 deals with removing the sale as a reason to end a lease, which is similar to the protection of leases on commercial properties in other jurisdictions. My other two amendments are critical to solving the issue of homelessness as a result of evictions. The first seeks an extension to termination notice periods to tenants in tenancies of less than six months from 28 days to 90 …

I am nearly finished. We need early intervention. Families should not be waiting in limbo indefinitely, prolonging the inevitability of transitioning to a new home. I have a constituent, a mother with children, and they are being evicted in January. She has been in the system for 17 years and, therefore, the system should understand her position. The system needs to be proactive, not reactive, and another 90 days will not make her feel any better. It does not serve anybody to be stuck in a vacuum of anxiety. Early …

I thank the Minister of State for bringing forward this Bill. A crucial provision of the Bill is the introduction of indefinite tenures, which is a Green Party policy and a commitment we secured in the programme for Government. However, in a recent discussion with Father Peter McVerry, he had a very clear and frank message for us legislators, which is that we have to be far more radical than we are being in order to solve the crisis. He said we have to value housing as a fundamental right like the rights to educati…

I thank the Minister for his briefing on the Bill, which was considered and constructive. I truly welcome the abolition of the strategic housing development scheme, which was a programme for Government commitment. A core tenet of our democracy is a robust, transparent and democratic planning system that allows for genuine public participation to bring about good planning solutions in a timely prescribed manner. From my 30 years of experience in the planning system, speeding the process up will put unneeded pressure…

I move: That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to section 4(2)(f) (iv) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Acts 2003-2018, hereby authorises the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to defend proceedings initiated against Dáil Éireann and to instruct legal counsel in that regard in the matter of Gerard Hutch v. the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Minister for Justice, Dáil Éireann, Seanad Éireann, Ireland and the Attorney General (High Court: 2021/898/JR).

In response to a parliamentary question I submitted in June, the Minister stated that he intended to establish the commission on housing formally by September and, once terms of reference were finalised, hold a process to invite expressions of interest for membership of the commission. In light of the urgency of the need for rental protections and regulation in the rental sector, I would be grateful if the Minister would update the House on the establishment of the commission and its terms of reference.

We have received assurances from the Minister and the Department that one of the first priorities of the commission on housing will be to progress the referendum on the right to housing. In light of the delay in establishing the commission, will the Minister indicate when we will be at the ballot box to vote in a referendum on the right to housing? Furthermore, I understand the commission will examine issues such as tenure, rental protections and accommodation standards, as the Minister mentioned. As most of these …

Will the commission consider how rental units are regulated, as they are in other jurisdictions, to ensure that if a landlord wants to sell a unit, the tenants can remain in situ ? I know that with the build-to-rent legislation, which I do not necessarily agree with, the units remain rental units, so if a landlord sells the unit, the tenants can stay. Will the commission consider the issue of the regulation of rental units going forward?

I begin by wishing the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, a quick recovery and thanking the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, for coming in this evening. The crack cocaine epidemic in Tallaght is intensifying, with more open drug-dealing in public places, increased violence, drug-related intimidation and sophisticated marketing techniques being used by drug dealers to ensnare users. Consequently, the demand for services is increasing. While the local task forces are working on the front line to provide critically…

It is very simple. This community needs help. We have a population of 5 million now. We are one big community and this is part of that and it needs help. It is underfunded. The funding has not been brought back even though it has been brought back to various other areas. It is under-resourced with gardaí. I do not know how much more needs to be said. I heard yesterday from Pat Daly, who works in Kiltalown rehabilitation centre, that crystal meth is coming and when that comes you can forget about everything. I was g…

I move: That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to section 4(2)(f)(iv) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Acts 2003 to 2018, hereby authorises the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to defend Workplace Relations Commission proceedings against a member of Dáil Éireann entitled: ADJ-00032962, and which proceedings arise solely out of the performance by the member concerned of their parliamentary functions as a member of Dáil Éireann.

As we recover from one of the most challenging times in the history of the State, it was important our budget aimed to restore livelihoods, rebuild the sectors destroyed by the pandemic and protect the most vulnerable as we mitigate the climate crisis. I believe this budget has succeeded in doing so. The solution to the rental crisis is State-led affordable accommodation. That is what cost rental is. It provides State-led high-quality affordable housing with secure, indefinite tenancies so no tenant is at risk of h…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to make provision for the law relating to the liability of builders, developers and others involved in the carrying out of residential construction works; to specify certain requirements applicable to residential construction works; to provide for certain duties to apply to such works; to provide for a means of redress for persons affected by housing defects and to specify the limitation periods relating to claims for such redress and to provide for …

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Thank you.

I congratulate the Minister on his work on this plan, which, in a time of crisis, provides a comprehensive strategy to mitigate our housing crisis. The Government has provided the funding and legislation. The challenge will be the implementation and delivery of the plan within the given timeframe. I am particularly glad to see Green Party housing policies at the heart of the plan, including cost rental, which is a model for which I have advocated since being elected. In just over a year, we have moved from the prov…

I move: That Dáil Éireann, pursuant to section 4(2)(f) (iv) of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission Acts 2003 to 2018, hereby authorises the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission to defend proceedings initiated against Dáil Éireann and to instruct legal counsel in that regard in the matter of Jonathan Dowdall v. The Director of Public Prosecutions, the Minister for Justice and Equality, Dáil Éireann, Ireland and the Attorney General (High Court: 2021/657/JR) .