It seems that the Minister for announcements and glossy pamphlets over there is so preoccupied with repackaged launches that he has lost sight of the need to deliver real homes. What we are seeing is a chronic failure of delivery which has compounded housing distress for so many people and so many families. I am thinking of two particular families I am dealing with at the moment. One comprises a father and daughter who is a wheelchair user. The father is renting a second-floor studio that is inaccessible. He has to…

The Taoiseach has listed a multitude of schemes but we see a yawning gap in the delivery of homes as a result of those schemes, which is the issue. It is an issue for everyone, including for renters and, as the Taoiseach has acknowledged, for those who wish to buy homes too. We see the report today that single first-time buyers must earn at least €67,000 a year in order to even qualify for a mortgage. We see single people locked out of homeownership and we see renters in crisis, yet the Government is failing to spe…

I think it is nitpicking.

I too want to raise the consultative forum on international security policy. I welcome the statement the Tánaiste issued just now, confirming that the Government does not intend to change Ireland's policy of military neutrality. It is important that the Tánaiste made that clear, and I welcome that. I want to know if the debate in recent days around the balance of participants in the forum will lead the Government to reconsider and ensure a more balanced level of participation. I refer in particular to representativ…

I want to raise the issue of early years education and childcare. We know urgent reforms are needed. We still have fees that are too high, a lack of availability of places, and staff and workers who are low paid. The Taoiseach's comments at the weekend appeared to undermine the Government's commitment to a reduction in costs and showed a complete lack of understanding of the severity of this issue and how serious it is for so many parents. Is the Government committed to a significant reduction in costs? Can we see …

Well?

I ask the Minister the efforts he has made to ensure a reduction in carbon emissions in the residential sector by 40%, as outlined in the Climate Action Plan 2023, and if he will make a statement on the matter.

I thank the Minister for outlining progress. He referred to progress on retrofitting and heat pumps. We need to see more ambition and urgency if we are to meet the target of 500,000 homes retrofitted by 2030. We certainly support that, and we support strenuous efforts being made to reach the target. We are concerned that progress has not been swift enough in this area. I will focus on the third action outlined in the Climate Action Plan 2023, to which the Minister referred at the end of his response. That is the me…

This month.

I am glad to hear the Minister commit to publishing the report on district heating in the next two weeks. That means it will be published this month, which is very welcome. We have heard really distressing stories from people in our constituency of Dublin Bay South who have been affected by overcharging in respect of district heating schemes. That has to be addressed. More broadly, I agree with the Minister about the immense potential for district heating in terms of emission reductions. The delays have been uncons…

Go raibh maith agat.

Ceann Comhairle-----

I have just been outside the gates with the retained firefighters. I ask the Minister what he proposes to do this week to stop what we are going to see happening next Tuesday. SIPTU has indicated that retained firefighters will begin to resign en masse next week if serious and meaningful engagement with the Government does not happen. Leaving theatrics aside, let us talk about the real experiences of retained firefighters. I refer to the abysmal pay and conditions they put up with when they are putting themselves o…

We need to see urgent action-----

-----and meaningful engagement from the Government.

I am glad to support this Bill. I will speak a little about its history, which the Minister of State also referred to. It is important that this issue be addressed, and it is disappointing to see a further delay being proposed by the Government, given this legislation has had a long genesis, as the Deputy said. The background to this, as we all know, is that the planet is getting hotter. Unfortunately, severe weather events are becoming more extreme and frequent and sea levels are rising. In fact, recent rates for …

On behalf of Labour, I want to begin by joining with others in sending our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the late Christy Dignam, in particular his wife Kathryn and his family. He will be greatly missed for his immense contribution to Irish music, society and culture. I also want to express my sympathies on behalf of Labour to the family of John Murphy. John was one of two men who suffered severe injuries at a Cork Stryker plant in April and he sadly died last week. Our thoughts are with his famil…

I thank the Taoiseach for the response on pay-related benefits. I share his hope that this will be a short-term temporary layoff for the workers affected. Again, my thoughts are with the workers. The Taoiseach has not answered my question on the proposal for a short-term working scheme. Indeed, is it a proposal that has been put forward across the labour movement. I would like a clear response on that. We have seen it used elsewhere to protect workers in this situation. I have a further question. The Taoiseach stat…

In a recent leaflet the Taoiseach distributed in Dublin West crime statistics for the Blanchardstown area were outlined. It appears from that leaflet that crime rates are up in his constituency of Dublin West. It might be surprising for victims of crime and communities that under Fine Gael, the supposed party of law and order, more people are offending and fewer perpetrators are being detected. Clearly a key issue to be addressed is confidence in policing and in An Garda Síochána. We are hearing from members of An …

I have commended the Ceann Comhairle's initiative establishing the task force on safe participation in political life and I am delighted to be a member of it. However, in advance of our meeting on Thursday, I raise in this House the need for us as public representatives to promote civil and respectful debate and to show leadership in these Houses. Unfortunately, in recent weeks, we have seen some really awful examples in this Chamber and on social media of public representatives really pushing the boundaries of res…