My point is very simple; I believe every new estate that is being built should have 10% social housing and 10% affordable housing. At present, every new estate being built will have 10% social housing. However, if planning permission is secured to develop land that was purchased between 1 September 2015 and 31 July 2021 before 31 July 2026, which is four years away, there is no requirement for the increased Part V provision in that estate. That is a serious issue. I want an integrated model. We are providing fundin…

This is very straightforward. It is about the cost of building houses in an estate. My worry is that, when developers or builders buy lands, it will normally be a couple of years before they apply for planning permission or build houses. Most of the land that will be built on in the coming years is land purchased prior to 31 July 2021. I ask the Minister of State to commit to looking at establishing a legal basis and funding model to compensate any builders or developers seeking permission from a local authority to…

I very much welcome this scheme. By way of clarification, when will this be a nationwide scheme? It is in the villages and towns at the moment. When will it go to the big urban areas, to rural areas and to city centres? It would make a great difference in Limerick city centre and within the environs of the city. When will it become a blanket nationwide scheme covering all older properties? Young couples and other young people come to me. In many cases, they can buy a second-hand house and do it up more cheaply than…

I would prefer to hear the Minister's response to our query. This is only negativity.

As long as I get my question answered. That is all I want.

I know of many people, particularly in Limerick and in the cities, who have identified properties they wish to renovate. They are asking me when the commencement date will be.

When in November? Will it be for the cities and rural areas? When will it be available nationwide? What is the precise date? Will there be a public awareness campaign? I am still getting questions from people about the actual commencement date.

I have raised this issue on a number of occasions, including last February. It is about the social housing income limit. I read the report and the initial review of income limits for social housing. I have a couple of comments. Only seven local authorities nationally have less than 35% of disposable incomes going to rent. That is the benchmark. Between 2011 and the first quarter of last year, Limerick city had the highest rate of increase in rents, at 89.5%. When I looked through the table about the increase in the…

Second, I want an increase for a dependent adult from 5% to 6% and an increase for a child from 2.5% to 3%.

I thank the Minister of State. He and the Minister have done a body of work on this. They have increased the income eligibility threshold in the five local authorities by €5,000. If we look back to 2011, the average industrial wage was just short of €36,000. Now the average industrial wage is just above €43,000 or €44,000. That is a 20% increase. There is now a 20% increase of €5,000 for the five local authorities. I would ask that, as a transitional measure, at a minimum, they should now look to an increase in the…

We are speaking about the price of energy. One of the core aspects of that is the fact electricity is priced at the wholesale price of gas in the European market. Discussions are taking place on this at European level. What form does the Minister expect the tax on the windfall gains of the energy companies above their cost of production to take? How quickly does he expect a decision to be taken and in what form will it come to the Government? Will it be in the form of a fund we receive from Europe and, if so, how q…

-----because they are able to price the energy at the market price of gas in Europe.

I very much believe in Part V delivery. I wish to deal with a particular aspect of it. I like estates to have 10% social and 10% affordable. That is what I want to see on every new estate that is built. Part V provision was in place previously, with both 10% social and 10% affordable, but on many occasions the Part V obligation was bought out and did not happen. That is no longer the case. However, I draw attention to the fact that under Housing for All and, more particularly, the Affordable Housing Act 2021, in th…

I thank the Minister of State. I welcome the fact that there is a great deal happening on affordable housing. As I said, the 25 units in Castletroy that are being built under the affordable housing fund through the local authority and all the other aspects such as the home equity scheme are all very welcome. However this is a very particular point. The Minister of State made reference to the fact that land purchased between 1 September 2015 and 31 July 2021 might be deemed - if Part V for affordable housing was imp…

The 20% reduction in public transport fares is a great initiative. However, there are unintended consequences in terms of private operators' routes. Route 307 goes to the University of Limerick and covers Castletroy College, while route 308 covers Groody Road and Ballysimon. Dublin Coach has announced that it is pulling that service effective from close of business on Friday. I very much welcome the 50% reduction that has been given across all operators. Has the Government considered the 20% reduction to all operat…

Pyrite has been an issue in my constituency for a number of years. My first involvement in pyrite was in getting Limerick included in the pyrite remediation scheme, which involves pyrite in the hardcore of the foundations. Limerick City and County Council had to apply to the pyrite remediation board and we succeeded in getting it included. I saw the devastation that caused for people in their homes. Subsequently, in June of least year it came to my notice that pyrite was in the blockwork of houses in Limerick. I as…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing this matter to be debated. I represent the constituency of Limerick City. We have severe overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick, UHL, emergency department, ED. HIQA carried out an inspection of the ED at UHL on 15 March and issued a report. The report found that there were 88 people on trolleys. That figure has been consistent every since. There was a welcome change this morning when it dropped to 63. When the report came out, my view was very simple, namely, that the …

I thank the Minister of State very much. I welcome that the HSE, at a national level, and the Minister requested that the performance management improvement unit move to assist and to work in partnership with the management, the nurses and medical staff at the hospital. We must see results for the people and patients of Limerick. We cannot have a situation where we have people on trolleys for an inordinate length of time. It is very distressing for them and their families. UHL provides a very good service, but we a…

I will again bring up the matter of the HIQA report into overcrowding in the emergency department, ED, at UHL. There are 88 patients on trolleys there today, which is the same number as that on 15 March when HIQA carried out its report. UHL needs serious help at a national level. We have the second highest number in throughput of ED patients, yet we have the lowest number, relatively, of acute beds. That is a very important statistic. The Minister for Health set up, and asked the HSE to put in place, an expert team…

It is the action plan I want.