My next question follows on from the first. To address a point that the Minister made, if I asked a question about tax, it would have been transferred to the Minister for Finance. If we accept that capital expenditure should increase not just for housing but infrastructure more generally, then the question is about how we get there. A recent IFAC report highlighted concerns about capacity and how this could stymie efforts to meet the existing capital expenditure targets before we even think of increasing them furth…

We are all on the same page. We want these capital projects to happen. The Minister mentioned external expertise to try to deliver this. I am aware that he will hire additional external expertise for the Project Ireland 2040 delivery board. Those will be additional members if I am not mistaken. I am aware that he is establishing a framework of external specialists and infrastructure delivery to assist with a major project advisory group. The Minister says that this is to avoid the pitfalls which have arisen in the …

A recommendation in my party's submission on the recovery and resilience plan was to allocate some of the money towards what I would call capital catch-up. These would be one-off spending measures to help us to get back on track to reach existing targets. That is before we look at potentially increased targets. I am aware, as the Minister mentioned, that the Government's housing commitments have been outlined in other places but I have not seen that in the recovery and resilience plan. It is crucial that we reach t…

One line in the ESRI report stuck in my mind which stated, "it is evident that the domestic construction sector is unable to meet the scale of production required". Given the current delays in commencing certain capital projects and the longer-term problem of market supply meeting demand, has the Minister considered investing in a State-owned construction body or an expanded role for the Office of Public Works to help us meet the demand?

We are in a situation at the moment where demand consistently outstrips supply. This puts upward pressure on house prices and rent. The Minister mentioned in the past number of questions high expenditure in terms of capital. We need to look at the reality on the ground as well. People cannot afford housing or rents. Again today the Central Bank has said that house prices will rise further because of the shortage of affordable housing. Obviously, this is great news for the developers, bankers and investment funds bu…

I hope the Government will start to play its part in the delivery of housing, especially affordable housing that people can actually live in. The reality is that we have seen for a long number of years with previous Governments and this Government a failure to do that. That is why we are in the situation we are in. We are where we are because of political decisions. It is simply not good enough. I hope the Government will be ambitious and will try to deliver affordable housing so that people can live in the houses …

There is much merit in creating a shared Government data services centre. I have been looking at the area of public procurement and data collection, analysis and review in this area needs to be improved. A shared data centre could help to improve the interoperability of public administrative databases and could help cut down on data entry and the collection of duplicate data. As part of the drive towards digitisation, efforts are being made to cut down on paper records as these are seen as less efficient. However, …

If the data centre is to be State-run, that is very good news. Deputy Lawless mentioned that the data centres based here which are owned by private companies can use significant amounts of energy. We know there has been a sharp rise in the number of such centres operating here. In fact, a report prepared by the data hosting industry confirmed that the number of operational data centres in the State increased by 25% in the past year. The data centre industry currently consumes 11% of the energy generated on the grid…

Two weeks ago, I met with fishers from Inis Oírr who raised two key issues with me. First, they are deeply concerned at having to weigh the shellfish when they land it on Inis Oírr. There is no account taken of damage to, or incidental loss of, the catch before it travels back again by sea to the factories. The other key issue is the pier on Inis Oírr, which not only impacts fishers but the entire island community, which is one of the coastal communities we are discussing today. Since I was elected to represent the…

Ar an gcéad dul síos, tréaslaím leis an Teachta Nash as an mBille seo a chur os comhair na Dála. I commend him on bringing forward this Bill. I welcome any legislation that seeks to shut the revolving door between Government and vested interests. We need to keep in mind the scandals of the past year that brought this issue to the fore, including the appointment of a former Minister of State at the Department of Finance to a position with an investment fund lobbying group. This showed very clearly the need for incre…

I raise the issue of children who are suffering with chronic pain and their families. In November 2019, the only HSE paediatric pain specialist left his post due to a continued lack of support and an intense and increasing workload. As a result, no pain paediatric specialists are left. There are also currently no private pain consultants in the country who see children. Therefore, children throughout the State who suffer from many different chronic pain conditions have been left with no one to help them. This has f…

I thank the Minister of State and I will send that in an email. I understand there is funding in place and it is good we have clarity that there is a locum consultant and that amendments will be made in an effort to hire a full-time consultant, which it is hoped will attract more candidates. How long will that process take? When does the Minister of State expect it to close in order that the waiting lists can be dealt with? I understand there is a locum consultant but children have been waiting 18 months. They have…

My question is on children's respite services in Galway. Crannóg respite service caters for children with complex medical needs. It is only open for 19 nights each month and needs to be expanded to include more children. Crannmór respite centre for children with autism needs an alternative location. Currently, if children require emergency respite, the only option available for parents is to bring their child to an accident and emergency department, which is crazy. Will the Taoiseach commit to extending children's …

Tá ceist fíor-shimplí agam don Aire. Cén fáth go bhfuil sé ag troid i gcoinne CAP a bheadh níos fearr d’fhormhór na bhfeirmeoirí ar fud an iarthair, ar fud ceantair Ghaeltachta, ina chontae féin i nDún na nGall agus i mo chontae, Contae na Gaillimhe? Mar gheall ar a dhearcadh agus dearcadh páirtithe an Rialtais, tá feirmeoirí atá ag streachailt cheana féin, atá ag cur seirbhísí agus earraí fíorthábhachtacha ar fáil dúinn ar fad agus atá ag déanamh oibre iontach, chun cailleadh amach ar na milliúin euro. Tá Gaillimh…

Women are an afterthought in many instances, but particularly with regard to healthcare. Over the decades, time and again we have seen scandal after scandal in women's healthcare. That must stop now. It is unacceptable for maternity care to be pushed to the margins as we move out of lockdown. While golfers are back on the greens and we will be able to drink a pint outside from next week, pregnant women are once again forgotten. I have been contacted by many mothers and fathers who have been damaged as a result of t…

An tseachtain seo caite, d’ardaigh mé cé chomh seafóideach is a bhí sé plé a dhéanamh ar an gcoiste aisghabhála agus athléimneachta an tseachtain ina dhiaidh gur cuireadh isteach aighneacht an Rialtais don choiste seo. Nuair atáimid ag breathnú ar an bhfigiúir seo, is figiúir uafásach mhór atá i gceist leis an gcoiste le maoiniú de bheagnach €1 billiún d’infreastruchtúr, do dhaoine agus d’aisghabháil na tíre seo tar éis ceann de na hamanna is deacra le Covid-19. Cuirim fáilte roimh an phlé seo inniu ach ba chóir go…

Tá mé ag roinnt mo chuid ama le mo chomhghleacaí, an Teachta Andrews. Ireland was drawn into what happened in Belarus by the nature of the arrest of Roman Protasevich. The fact that a Ryanair aeroplane - and therefore, in many senses, an Irish aeroplane - was forced into an emergency landing, which brought increased dangers to all the 130 passengers on board, made the Government's intervention expected and necessary. The Government has been strong on this, demanding answers from the Belarusian Government in relatio…

Bhí roinnt daoine ó Chonamara i dteagmháil liom le déanaí ag rá nach bhfuil an vacsaín ar fáil óna ndochtúir teaghlaigh. Ag an am céanna, níl bealach ar bith isteach acu chuig an ionad vacsaíne i mBaile an Bhriotaigh i gcathair na Gaillimhe, mar níl bus nó traein a théann isteach ann agus muna bhfuil carr acu níl bealach ar bith acu an vacsaín seo a fháil. Dúirt an tAire níos luaithe go bhfuil sé chun athbhreithniú a dhéanamh ar na hathruithe ar an mbealach stórála don vacsaín AstraZeneca. An mbeidh impleachtaí aig…

Sinn Féin wrote to the Business Committee last week regarding the Government's submission to the EU recovery fund. Last week, it was announced that the Government was to make its submission to that fund this week, without it having been discussed in the Dáil at any point or at committee level. This involves €853 million, which is significant. We wrote to the Business Committee about this and the Government has agreed to have it discussed next week. Is the Government, therefore, postponing its submission to next wee…

I raise the issue of the derelict site at the former Corrib Great Southern Hotel. In 2010, planning permission was granted to demolish the current structures. In 2015, the site was added to the derelict site register. Years later, however, we are still stuck with this eyesore in one of the most prominent locations in the east of the city. At a time when people cannot afford homes, we cannot afford to have sites like this lying idle in Galway. I am asking if the Government will commit to reviewing the vacant site le…