In November.

The Government has had seven years to do so.

I welcome the removal of the acute public in-patient charge. This is a very positive move. I will be supporting the Bill. I also welcome the public contract for consultants. I congratulate the Minister on that; it is a big step. The Bill gives us a chance to reflect on the mess our healthcare system has become over the past few decades. More than two decades ago, when the Tánaiste was Minister for Health, a bed capacity report showed that we needed 5,000 extra beds in our health services by 2011. These are nowhere …

I will speak to what should be but is not in the Finance Bill. Inflation and prices have risen this month, despite the Government’s assurances that inflation would reduce during the year and its decisions to start removing the few supports people had to help them during the cost-of-living crisis. The Government seems to think that fiddling around with VAT and excise rates, while removing the payments that were vital for many to scrape by this winter, is enough for the thousands of people around this country who hav…

I object to the Minister for housing leaving the Chamber at this point in time; I really do.

Exactly. He is not the Minister for housing.

I thank Deputy Ó Broin for tabling this motion. I welcome the Minister back to the Chamber. It was totally disrespectful that he left.

I am not saying it is about me. I am talking about the debate and the people who are facing notices to quit.

From listening to the Taoiseach's earlier statements, it is clear that even he has lost faith in the ability of the Government to deal with the housing crisis. Out of one side of his mouth, last January he said things could be even worse, but out of the other side comes the Government's policies we are all supposed to be reassured by. The Government knows its policies are not working and that it is not taking sufficient actions to make a dent in this housing crisis. Eleven days from now, thousands of people will fa…

I will begin by reading into the record the contents of the Bill that Deputies Tully, Guirke and Ó Laoghaire have put forward. It reads as follows: An Act to amend the Education Act 1998 to grant additional functions to the Inspectorate to examine and report to the Minister on the prevalence and standard of individual educational plans for children with special educational needs on an annual basis; and to provide for related matters. Be it enacted by the Oireachtas as follows: Interpretation 1. In this Act, save wh…

It is education.

I will resubmit the questions when we come back after the break next week. There is a distance between what we are hearing officially and what is happening on the ground. Parents feel that the 40-plus children put into that special school were just put into a building and did not get the wraparound services they need. There is an occupational therapy room in the school but no occupational therapist. The room cannot be used as a result. The parents feel their children have been let down. It is like the Department ju…

I thank the Rural Independent Group for tabling this Private Members' motion. I support it. While the move away from cash during Covid was understandable, cash remains an important part of life for many people in this country. There is real need for cash in society, whether it be for elderly people who might not know how to access digital services, people with disabilities who need access to cash services or people who have spent their entire lives budgeting through cash. There are also the issues raised by Deputy …

It is shameful.

The Government has decided to lift the eviction ban in the public interest. Thousands of people face losing their homes when the ban is lifted on 1 April. It is understood that more than 2,000 households might have faced eviction over the winter months. On top of that, extra people have received notices to quit since November. I do not know the exact figure, but I imagine it is at least 1,000. Emergency accommodation is at breaking point. During Leaders' Questions last week, I asked what measures the Government wou…

Where are those 650 emergency beds?

Will the Minister provide the House with that information?

It seems this Government thinks the cost-of-living crisis has been dealt with for now. It has ignored calls from groups like Age Action and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul for proper increases to core social welfare payments of at least €8 to €12. It ignored calls for the fuel allowance to be given to more people on fixed and low incomes. It took away badly-needed supports in terms of relief on excise duty and energy bills. There are still thousands of people around this country struggling to pay their bills, st…

My question asks whether the Minister agrees with the withdrawal of services from communities as part of the BusConnects strategy. In particular, I raise the issues around the 68, 69 and 13 bus routes, which run through Bluebell, Inchicore, Kilmainham, the South Circular Road and Thomas Street. Those services are going to be withdrawn at the end of the second half of this year and replaced with one bus every hour in those communities. Does the Minister agree with that?

I thank the Minister. I do not know if he knows the area in question. Bluebell, the Kylemore Road, Inchicore village, Grattan Crescent and Bulfin Estate are all served by the 68, 69 and 13 bus routes. The 13 bus brings people to Thomas Street. The 69 bus brings people down by the Gaelscoil in Islandbridge. The 68 bus brings people to Clanbrassil Street, Camden Street and the eye and ear hospital. It provides great connectivity. Those services are going to be replaced. On consultation, our community engaged with the…