I thank the Deputy. Nobody will be in any doubt where the Deputy comes from; she is definitely from Carlow. The town and village renewal scheme was introduced in 2016 and is one of a number of measures designed to rejuvenate rural towns and villages throughout Ireland. Since the launch of the scheme, more than €156 million has been allocated to in excess of 1,700 projects throughout Ireland. In total, Carlow County Council has been allocated funding of €6,282,465 for a total of 63 projects under the various iterati…

I will certainly look at the applications, which I expect to come across my desk shortly. I cannot anticipate the outcome but good applications always get money.

I move: That it be an instruction to the Select Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands on the Social Welfare (Liable Relatives and Child Maintenance) Bill 2023, that pursuant to Standing Order 187, the Committee has power to make amendments to the Bill which are outside the scope of the existing provisions of the Bill in order to adjust the supports provided to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection who are resident in designated accommodation centres and to make other conseq…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." In line with the programme for Government commitment, the Government established a child maintenance review group to examine certain issues relating to child maintenance in Ireland. The group's terms of reference were to consider and make recommendations on the current treatment of child maintenance payments in the Department of Social Protection, the current provisions regarding liable relatives managed by the Department, and the establishment of a child maintenan…

I thank all the Deputies for their contributions. I acknowledge Deputy Ó Cuív's commitment to the means test and the need to continually review it. It is something he has raised with me on many occasions. I look forward to receiving the report on the means test shortly. We all know that lone parents are a particularly vulnerable group, which is why I am very pleased to bring forward this legislation. I thank Deputies for their support. As a result of the provisions in the Bill, my Department will no longer assess c…

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands pursuant to Standing Order 95 and Standing Order 180(1).

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Before answering, I wish everybody a happy and successful 2024. In 2021, the Government took a number of actions. To discourage significant purchases in housing estates by investment funds, a higher 10% rate of stamp duty was introduced on the purchase of ten or more houses in a 12-month period. Planning guidelines were issued to restrict the bulk-buying of houses and duplexes. A section 28 guideline was issued to all the planning authorities which aimed to prevent multip…

We are allowing young people the opportunity to buy their own homes.

Approximately 500 new mortgages are drawn down each week, so the opportunity is there. We are creating more houses. More and more are coming on stream all the time and we can see that. The only way we would achieve house prices of €300,000, as the Deputy's party is suggesting, is to have a recession. That is the only way house prices will come down. I am being realistic about all of this and I telling people the facts. You cannot build a house for €300,000.

That is the fact of the matter-----

-----and there is no changing that. I ask the Deputy one question. Would she build her house for €300,000? I could not. It is not possible to do it.

The best way to increase supply is to continue with what we are doing in Housing for All-----

-----and get more houses on stream.

It is happening and will happen. The proof of the pudding will always be in the eating.

I thank the Deputy. The Housing for All target for this year is to build 33,450 new homes. I do accept there is a gap between the existing target and what is needed. In the past, we did not have the capacity to deliver, but that capacity is increasing all the time. We need to have an informed process in setting new targets. The Department of housing is working with the ESRI on research that will inform the national and geographical needs based on our population growth. We need to build more houses, but we need to b…

I thank the Deputy. We are exceeding our targets every year. Every year we are building more houses and we will continue to do that. The Deputy acknowledges that capacity was a problem. That has been built up. Much work has gone into upskilling and retraining young people into the construction sector and it is working. I stated clearly that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is expecting the ESRI research. The Department is expecting that report next month and updated targets will be brought to Government at tha…

The Deputy is going down a dangerous road. The rise of far right ideology and anti-immigration sentiment in Ireland is worrying. It is something we have seen in other countries for many years but it had not been an issue here. Unfortunately, that has changed but when you look ahead to 2024 the world is becoming a scary place. When we look at what is going on in Gaza, at Putin's war in Ukraine and the election in America, which looks like it will be divisive, we should not be fanning the flames on all of this propag…

The Deputy cannot blame the Government for people carrying out violent actions. She should not conflate the two issues of housing and immigration. Ukrainians and international protection applicants are being moved mainly into hotels and large-scale types of accommodation. They are not taking homes from Irish people. If that is the line the Deputy is trying to peddle, she is going down a very dangerous road. We have taken a number of actions and will continue to work with communities and to improve our communication…

I thank Deputy Lowry. I listened to Michael Murray from North Tipperary Development Company on the radio this morning. My Department supports its work. When you hear about the work North Tipperary Development Company is doing, you find out that it is helping Ukrainians and international protection applicants with training and employment supports. It set up a Roscrea welcome group and is working with local residents to host coffee mornings and play days. I believe Mr. Murray said that a special Ukrainian commemorati…

I am sorry.