-----but if he does not want to hear what I have to say-----

Am I allowed to respond?

I would appreciate the same respect that I accord the Deputy in this Chamber all of the time.

I do not shout across the Deputy. I listened to him; I would appreciate if he could give me the same respect.

Thank you, a Leas Cheann-Comhairle. As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted by the other side of the House, local authorities do generate significant rental income that should supplement central government funding in the area of maintenance because nobody in this Government wants to see anybody living in substandard accommodation.

Dublin City Council is working closely with the Department to determine the best solution for each complex, be that demolition and rebuild resulting in mixed-tenure communities or, where appropriate, deep retrofit and remedial works. Mention has been made of local authority staffing and while it should be noted that the operational responsibility for staff lies with Dublin City Council and the chief executive, I assure the Chamber that my Department will consider all staffing requests that can add value to the deli…

-----are both currently on-site. Construction has recently begun at An Droichead Órga in Inchicore, at the former St. Michael's estate next to the historic Richmond Barracks.

These three regeneration projects will revitalise their communities and deliver over 2,000 mixed-tenure homes, including cost-rental, affordable purchase and social housing once all phases are completed, with the support of Exchequer funding of over €460 million. This is clear evidence of the significant investment that Government is making-----

-----in the regeneration of Dublin city, which is in stark contrast to the motion before us. The Department has funded Dublin City Council to the tune of €120 million for social housing regeneration projects completed in recent years, refurbishing or rebuilding 345 homes, including 72 homes at Dominick Street east-----

-----100 homes as part of Dolphin House phase 1, and 32 homes for older persons at Glin Court in Coolock. The Department is funding eight projects currently on-site, delivering almost 1,000 homes at a total investment cost of €490 million. Additionally, Dublin City Council has a strong pipeline of regeneration projects that are currently at implementation phase, with building contractors on-site and construction progressing rapidly. These include 163 homes at Dorset Street, St. Mary's, Dublin 1, 102 homes at St. An…

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I always address through the Chair.

I would appreciate some extra time because I might not get finished as a result of the interruptions, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

To that end, and recognising the efforts of Dublin City Council to create an agreeable and sustainable plan, funding of €13 million for the retrofit and deep refurbishment of four blocks at Pearse House has recently been approved by my Department. This follows an initial rejection of an amalgamation proposal from DCC, which would have resulted in the loss of 43% of existing homes at a very high cost. The Department is currently working with the Council to find an equally appropriate solution for the Oliver Bond Hou…

The Department is acutely aware that regeneration programmes cannot succeed without the input from local communities. That is why Dublin City Council continues to seek input from existing communities in flat complexes at each stage of the regeneration process.

Their input is valued and all projects are advanced with the objective of improving the living conditions of these long-term established communities.

I have a couple more concluding comments and would appreciate some latitude, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, because I was interrupted several times. We are aware of the collective complaint that was made to the European Committee of Social Rights in Strasbourg in 2017. It is for that very reason that Dublin City Council has been working on plans to regenerate all such flats through either deep retrofit or demolition and rebuild. The unparalleled funding available to local authorities through delivering homes and building…

I am listening to the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy for raising what is obviously an important matter. It is an issue of concern both locally and nationally. I appreciate the impact and challenges that shortages and outages of water have on communities around the country where they occur. As the Deputy will be aware, since 1 January 2014, Uisce Éireann has statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at a national, regional and local level, including investment in wastewater treatment plants, returnin…

The Deputy raised valid points, particularly around the reservoir levels. Obviously, I cannot answer to that specific case in the Deputy's constituency, but he is correct in pointing out that the significant investment of taxpayer's money we are allocating to Uisce Éireann as a utility company to be able to deliver those generational projects, and also to deliver those smaller projects right across the country, is critical to ensuring we are able to develop the quantum of housing required for our people. Only two w…

Shocking.