I thank the Deputy. What is usually done is the Department of Education looks at the child benefit stats to assess the number of places needed for primary school and then looks at the numbers in the primary schools to work out how many are needed for the secondary schools. From experience in my constituency, it can sometimes appear there is a very large shortfall in places, but once children are matched and those who may have two or three places accept one and not the others, a lot of places become free and that nu…

I thank the Deputy for raising the important of issue of special needs in Gorey. I do not have up-to-date information on the unit but I will make some inquiries with the office of the relevant Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, today and come back to the Deputy as soon as I have more information.

I thank the Deputy. There were quite a number of questions there and I will not be able to answer them in the time allowed. I offer my sincere condolences to Aoife's family on their tragic loss. I understand the HSE has received the review in recent days and is considering the serious and significant issues that arise. Its representatives have offered to meet the family privately to discuss the matter further. There has been considerable investment in University Hospital Limerick in recent years. Since this Governm…

I thank the Deputy. I have not had the chance to read this particular report but certainly what the Deputy has described is deeply worrying and concerning. HIQA has a number of options it can take, including a closure order, for example. However, I should take a look at the report before saying any more.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue of the former Ashbourne House Hotel in Glounthaune. I know the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is familiar with the issue and the concerns that have been raised. We are in a difficult situation whereby we are trying to manage accommodation on an almost daily basis. We are trying to move people from places to free up spaces for others. I can ask the Minister or members of his team to talk directly to the Deputy to see what options might be available.

I thank the Deputy. We keep all these things under constant review. No matter what income limits are designed, there will always be people just above that limit. No matter what rent is set, there will always be some people who can and cannot afford it. No matter where those levels are set, the same problems and challenges will arise. I should say that the whole point of cost rental is that it is cost rental. The rent must be able to cover the cost of building the building itself and not without a profit.

On the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use, I have not received the report yet. The practice would be to present it to the Cabinet and the Oireachtas and then refer it to an Oireachtas joint committee for further consideration. I am not sure whether that would be the committee on health or on justice, or both in the circumstances, but we will make that decision once the report is received. I would usually meet the chairperson as well and have a chance to talk through the report. On Deputy Carthy's question, we are in d…

I propose to take Questions Nos 1 to 13, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy and public services. The committee covers a range of topics, including immigration and integration, with a particular focus on equality and public service reform. Other topics covered by the committee include sport, social protection, arts and culture, justice issues such as policing reform, community s…

I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy Durkan asked about the depth of discussion on the social issues most affecting people. That is very much what the Cabinet committee on social affairs and public services is all about. Health is dealt with separately, as is education and children, but that committee has a major focus on housing issues, in particular, and monitoring the implementation of Housing for All. This year, we will exceed our target of building 29,000 new homes. It will be well over 30,000 this…

I do not know. The Deputy will have to ask him. They have certainly been in touch with him, but that was only yesterday. On Deputy O'Callaghan's question on homelessness, I am happy to check up on what I said. I am always willing, unlike some others, to correct the record if I make errors. The point I made was that during the period in which the temporary winter eviction ban was in place, overall homelessness continued to rise. I do not believe I got into any particular subgroups or details but I will check that ou…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 to 19, inclusive, together. I hosted the 40th British-Irish Council summit in Dublin on 24 November. The theme of the summit was transforming children's lives, tackling child poverty and improving well-being. There was an excellent discussion about approaches across the British-Irish Council members and the scope to share learnings. I outlined the Government's work including the establishment of the child poverty and well-being programme in my Department to co-ordinate efforts in…

Deputy Brendan Smith raised legacy issues and referred to the Belturbet and Dublin-Monaghan bombings. On legacy issues and a possible interstate case, the legal advice the Government has received from the Attorney General on the UK Act is an essential contribution to our consideration of whether to take a case. Relevant Ministers are studying the advice, considering next steps and looking at all the implications of such a decision. These include: the potential impact on the bilateral relationship; broader political…

He was not discussed. On water charges, any decision on that is a matter for the Northern Ireland parties. Water services have to be paid for. Water does fall from the sky but drinking water does not, nor is sewage and wastewater removed without considerable infrastructure and treatment plants. There are two options for paying: charges based on use, which is the most environmentally sound way of doing it, or taxation. Ultimately, it is a matter for the parties in Northern Ireland to decide how they want to charge p…

I propose to take questions No. 20 to 27, inclusive, together. I attended the World Climate Action Summit at the outset of the 28th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, or COP28, in Expo City, Dubai, on 1 and 2 December. The summit marked the commencement of two weeks of negotiations on climate change, including progressing the finance needed to mitigate and manage its consequences. The latest negotiating text published yesterday is disappointing, particularly in relation to fossil fuels. It is weak and una…

I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy O'Sullivan referred to resistance to change from oil and gas companies and oil and gas-producing countries. I agree with Deputies Farrell, Durkan and O'Sullivan regarding our responsibility to scale up the use of renewables. Approximately 40% of the electricity we produce is from renewable sources. We are aiming for in the region of 80% by 2030. We think that is achievable. It needs to be done, not just through offshore and onshore wind but also by means of solar and…

I thank the Deputy. I appreciate that a lot of renters in Ireland are paying very high rents and that a lot of people who are renting do not want to rent. They want to be able to own their own home. The Government understands that lived experience. We do not agree with the Deputy's proposed policy of an across-the-board rent freeze for three years precisely because we think it would be counterproductive. It would reduce the amount of supply, reduce the number of rental properties available and leave more people wit…

I thank the Deputy. There is no need to be condescending. It may come naturally to you, but it is unbecoming of somebody who wishes to be Taoiseach.

Once again, the Deputy engaged in misrepresentation and misleading behaviour, because she is the great misleader. I did not say that there was downward pressure on rents. I know rents are rising. I said that increased social housing exerts a downward pressure on rents, and that is just a fact. She knows that is a fact but it does not matter what I say. She will twist, manipulate and mislead because she is the great misleader.

Of course I meet people all the time who have been on the housing lists for far too long. Anybody in this House deals with the huge number of housing cases in their clinics and constituency offices. I also meet people all the time who are now buying their first homes. I see the enormous joy when people get to move into their first home. I also meet loads of people who are getting social housing - over 1,000 people a month are moving into new social housing. There is one thing that a lot of those people have in comm…

Once again, for the avoidance of doubt - not in this House but perhaps in other parts of the world - I want to condemn unreservedly the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel where 2,000 people were killed, were tortured. We know now that many women were raped and others were kidnapped and taken hostage, and remain as hostages in Gaza today. While Israel has a right to defend itself, what it has done goes well beyond that in my view and that of the Government. Israel is allowing a situation to develop whereby 100 chil…