That is a net decrease. There were 68,000 people on the housing list back in 2019 and there is just short of 58,000 now.

Sinn Féin wants to do away with HAP and, with due respect to the Deputy, he is selling something that is not based on reality. His party is scaring people in respect of evictions.

The Deputy needs to understand that 1,500 people-----

-----received extra HAP in the final quarter of the past year and, furthermore, that 19,000 tenancies were created in January and February of this year. It is not all bad news. We understand that it is difficult for people but we want to ensure that we continue to have extra supply for people who are in social housing and on HAP; that councils will continue to purchase at pace under the tenant in situ scheme; that further schemes will come in, including first opportunity to purchase for people who are renting; and …

They work for tenants in situ . Their rents have gone up by just short of 4%-----

-----over the past number of years.

The problem is that there is not enough supply. For new rentals, the rents are too high. For existing tenants, however, it has worked. That is completely overlooked. When the Deputy speaks about rents becoming higher, they are. I accept that. He does not qualify that comment by saying that it is new tenancies.

The Deputy does not. He gives the impression that it applies-----

-----across the board.

We have also brought in a measure whereby local authority managers can now suspend the Part 8 process and shave 20 weeks off the period it takes to get properties built. Furthermore-----

-----if Sinn Féin is so interested in building, why is it objecting systematically to housing developments?

I commend the Government countermotion to the House.

I thank the Deputy. I agree the debate we had was intense. As he noted, this is about keeping people in their homes. Housing for All is the Government’s plan to increase the supply of housing to an average of 33,000 units per year up to 2030, comprising the delivery of 90,000 social homes, 36,000 affordable purchase homes and 18,000 cost-rental homes. The strategy is supported by an investment package of more than €4 billion per annum through an overall combination of €12 billion in direct Exchequer funding, €3.5 b…

I thank the Deputy, who has made practical points that I take wholeheartedly. If people in a property have young children who are in a local school, the property in question is their home. That is the logic of it. The Deputy referred to Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council. A body of work is under way there. Obviously, the Deputy will allow the councils to do that work and see how it develops. The tenant in situ scheme was brought in for that specific purpose - to cater for people who are on HAP or RAS. As…

I thank the Senator for his congratulatory comments and I thank him for raising this very important issue. The policy paper on water sector transformation, as published in 2021, set out the Government's vision for the development of water services in Ireland based on the full integration of water services under Uisce Éireann as a single national water services authority in public ownership. The objective is to deliver a world-class public water services authority that meets customer needs, operates in line with bes…

The Senator has made clear points. He understands the issues at hand in Clonmel. I understand that my Department and I will make direct contact with Uisce Éireann to ask its officials to engage directly with the Senator, and councillors John Fitzgerald and Michael Murphy in Clonmel, on this particular issue. Ultimately, we all want to improve the quality of the water supply, which is what Uisce Éireann is all about. I undertake that I will contact Uisce Éireann and that a meeting will take place.

I thank the Senator for raising this issue. I will speak on CF overall and go into the details. Is the patient to whom she referred a woman?

If we can do anything for that lady, I ask the Senator to provide me the details and I will follow up on it. I know many people who have CF. They are a group I admire. Many of them are highly successful. A member of my extended family who has CF is a credit to her parents and leading a very full life. I fully support the provision of any supports that are required in the context of CF. I thank the Senator for raising this issue and giving me the opportunity to speak on it in the Seanad on behalf of my colleague,the…

I make the point to Senator Seery Kearney, soon to be Deputy Seery Kearney, that although it is regrettable that recruitment for a consultant respiratory and lung transplantation physician in the Mater hospital has been delayed, the HSE ODTI is working to recruit to the position as soon as possible. Once in place, this consultant physician will provide greater support to lung transplant recipients, including those with CF. I have undertaken to go to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and the Department to get the infor…

I am taking this Commencement matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly. The Senator and I are colleagues in Limerick and I am fully aware of this issue. Senator Gavan will know that I, along with colleagues, have looked to highlight the issues at UHL with overcrowding. I intend to explain the difference and then I will deal with the more local, substantive issues. I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this important issue, which has been raised by Senator Gavan. Although both…