They say every day is a school day. While the Dáil rose last week, we all learned something new. We all thought we knew why we had a housing crisis in this country - the number one issue facing this country, as the Taoiseach just said. We thought we had a housing crisis because of the Government’s policies and flat refusal to restrict evictions and stop families falling into homelessness. We thought it was because of the Government's failure to raise building targets, weak enforcement measures to tackle vacancy and…

Yes there was.

It is in our manifesto.

The Taoiseach says he is open to new ideas on housing but every time anyone in opposition raises a new idea with him he never misses an opportunity to denigrate it and belittle it.

As he well knows, the Labour Party's proposal clearly set out in our manifesto was to scale up the existing Land Development Agency, which we have supported in opposition, in order to ensure the State could bear the risk of building upfront. What I am hearing from builders and developers throughout the country is they desperately need upfront financing and that the absence of that is what is causing the downward trend and the drop in momentum in the construction of apartments and houses. The Taoiseach says momentum…

With respect, people will take with a large pinch of salt the Taoiseach's claim to be willing and open to taking up new ideas to deliver more homes more quickly. People see for themselves that homes are not being delivered by the Government, nor were they by the previous Government.

Scale it up.

It is how it is spent.

Many of us in opposition are very concerned to hear the Government suggesting that we are somehow delaying the formation of committees.

It is the Government that is seeking to change Standing Orders. The Ceann Comhairle ruled on the Lowry lads’ status to the effect that they are not a technical group in opposition. We in opposition are abiding by that ruling of the Ceann Comhairle. The Government is seeking to change it. It is looking to bring in changes to Standing Orders that we have not seen. Our Whips have not seen the detail of the changes to Standing Orders or sessional orders that the Government is proposing. Apparently, we are going to get …

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle-----

It is deeply distressing to see the resumption of Israel's brutal bombardment on the people of Gaza and horrific to hear Netanyahu describe Israeli airstrikes as "only the beginning". We have already seen horrific levels of deaths of civilians, including children, and what little hope was left for the population of Gaza seems to be gone, with barely any aid reaching civilians. Our moral obligation to act is stronger than ever. There are disturbing reports from Washington that the Taoiseach said the occupied territo…

The latest warning today from the World Meteorological Organization is stark. We know that human-induced climate change has reached new extremes and some consequences are, sadly, now irreversible. The Government is simply not being proactive enough to meet our essential targets for emission reductions. On "Morning Ireland" today, Peter Thorne, chair of the Climate Change Advisory Council, expressed frustration, stating he does not even know whether the Government is listening. Yesterday An Bord Pleanála granted per…

No, that is not true.

The Opposition is not obstructing.

I said it this week.

Intervene now.

After the decision has been made.

Excuse me. We are not pandering-----