Obviously, I am familiar with the sad death of Ms Lucas and I remember it very well. I want to extend my condolences to her family and friends, the wider community and the other Coast Guard volunteers. I do not know all the facts of this. Coroners act independently of Government and I am not going to make commitments here on the hoof. I will certainly speak to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, about it and ask him to reply to the Deputy directly.

The Department of Education has been allocated a very considerable capital budget for next year, mostly for new schools and school extensions. I think it is in the region of €1 billion; it is certainly several hundred million euro. As is often the case, there are many more projects that we need to progress than we currently have funding for. I know the Ministers, Deputy Foley and Donohoe, are aware of the problem and are working on it. I am as keen as Deputy Smyth to see many of these projects under way in the earl…

I noted what the Australian Government did, and I know the Australian Government has a scheme in place to provide additional compensation to thalidomide survivors in addition to the compensation that they currently receive. This Government would be very happy to match what the Australian Government has done, both in terms of an apology and also in terms of a compensation scheme. Unfortunately, we are not there yet. I would like to do it but we are not there yet. The indication I have is that if we did exactly what …

The Minister, Deputy McGrath, is very much apprised of this situation and is very concerned about it. We have all come across cases of people who have been paying their mortgages and who have a perfect payment record but whose mortgage has been sold to a non-bank lender and who now face very big increases in interest rates they would not have faced had the mortgage not been sold on. It is difficult to know what the solution to this is within existing law and regulations. The mortgage tax relief in the budget will h…

On Deputy Conway-Walsh's question on Garda pensions, talks are under way between Government and the public sector unions with a view to achieving a new public sector pay and pensions agreement. I do not want to comment on those talks, for obvious reasons, but they are under way and I will certainly make the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, aware of the particular issue the Deputy has raised. On Deputy Pringle's question, I will follow up on the matter. It is important that he gets a reply. He is a Member of this House and…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on housing last met on Monday, 27 November. The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for 18 December. This committee works to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the implementation of Housing for All and programme for Government commitments regarding housing and related matters. Housing for All is now in its third year of implementation. Earlier this month, the Government published the second annual update alongside the quarter…

I thank the Deputies for their questions. Deputy Dillon raised the issue of pyrite in County Mayo and whether modern methods of construction and rapid-build housing might form part of the solution. We can and will examine proposals made by Mayo County Council in that regard. Our experience with rapid-build solutions, however, is that they are never as rapid as people may believe they are. They are not much cheaper and while they may be more rapid than regular construction, they are not as rapid as people hope they …

Tógfaidh mé Ceisteanna Uimh. 12 go 14, go huile, le chéile. The parliamentary liaison unit in the Department of the Taoiseach assists the Government in its relationship with the Oireachtas. It works with the Office of the Government Chief Whip on issues that arise at the Business Committee and the Committee on Standing Orders and Dáil Reform, including Dáil reform proposals and amendments to Standing Orders. The unit helps the Office of the Government Chief Whip in the implementation of the Government’s legislation…

I thank Deputies. Deputy Barry said that Israel has consistently ignored UN resolutions. It has been doing that for many decades.

He is correct in that regard. I did not say that the US could do nothing. I am pretty sure that is not what I said. I note that Israel is not economically dependent on the US in the way it was in the past, and certainly not in the way it was before the 1980s. It is a considerable military power in its own right but of course receives significant US help in that regard. I said yesterday that experts in the politics and history of the region have expressed the view that the only thing that will cause the Israeli Gove…

-----surely that says something.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 15 to 22, inclusive, together. The National Economic and Social Council, NESC, advises me on strategic policy issues relating to sustainable economic, social, and environmental development in Ireland. NESC was established in 1973 and celebrated its 50th anniversary this year. I spoke at a conference last week to mark this occasion, which demonstrated NESC's history and role in providing research, dialogue, and advice to Government. NESC is currently working in four main areas. One i…

I will be as brief as I can. Deputy McDonald asked about the implantation group. I think it is not established yet but I will double-check and come back to the Deputy. When it comes to climate, we produce a climate action plan every year and quarterly progress reports. Deputy Smith mentioned the all-island economy, and is often the case in the House, drew my particular attention to the central Border region. He is absolutely right. When we talk about the all-island economy we cannot just talk about the Dublin-Belfa…

I will participate in the December meeting of the European Council in Brussels next Thursday and Friday. The agenda will cover EU enlargement, Ukraine, the Middle East and the mid-term review of the multi-annual financial framework. There will also be discussions on security and defence, migration and certain items relating to external relations. European Council President Charles Michel will report back on consultative meetings he has been holding with leaders in EU capitals to develop the EU's strategic agenda fo…

We have rent pressure zones in Ireland. We introduced them many years ago and the vast majority of people renting in Ireland are covered and protected by them. That means there are increases of between 0% and 4% per year. We have also introduced the rent tax credit and that is a big help for a lot of people. Next year, it is €750 a year for a single person and €1,500 a year for a couple who are renting together. That, in many cases, is a month's rent back in renters' pockets. Deputy McDonald mentioned some figures …

The Deputy says things with such a level of confidence that I would say many people actually believe her. Does she actually know the facts? The census states that in 2011, when I was first appointed to government, 1.15 million people owned their own home. In the last census, in 2022, 1.2 million people owned their own home. In raw numbers, more people owned their own home in 2022-----

-----than was the case in 2011. Fair enough, the population has increased, so homeownership in the census in 2022-----

-----was 68.9% while in 2011, it was 70.4%. Is that really a collapse? By the way, just in case the Deputy is not aware, percentages have to add up to 100. One of the reasons we have seen a change in numbers is because the percentage of people benefiting from social housing has gone up from 8.7% in 2011 to 10% in 2022.

It is true.

It is in the actual census.