I thank Senators O'Reilly and Chambers for bringing forward this matter. As Senator O'Reilly quite rightly said, this is about town centres, sustainable transport, balanced regional development and tackling climate change. This is an important matter. As the Senators will be aware, the Minister is a firm believer in the positive potential of increased and expanded sustainable mobility options, whether walking, cycling, bus or rail. The Senators referred to a new report on the western rail corridor, a copy of which …

Senator O'Reilly made excellent and valid points about this. I am of the view, as is the Minister, that the strategic rail review which will be conducted on an all-island basis will identify those needs the Senator has spoken about and will be carried out with the support of the Northern Ireland Executive to provide a much more holistic overview of what is required. It will seek to address the shortcomings identified in the JASPERS review and will mean that individual projects put forward later for consideration ca…

I will respond to some of the points that have been made as I have been frantically taking notes. I thank the Green Party Senators - Senators Garvey, Pauline O'Reilly, Martin and Hackett - for introducing the Bill. All contributors made the point about power being given back to communities and young people in our schools, not just as a demonstration but as tangible projects they can be involved in allowing them to see they can make a difference in their own communities. Senator Garvey mentioned the rural perspectiv…

I do not think so. Senator Martin spoke about climate justice. This is about doing the correct thing in this country but it also has a positive impact on developing countries. I hope I have given a reasonable summary of the questions raised by Senators. I thank the Green Party Senators for bringing forward this Private Members' Bill relating to planning exemptions for solar panels. I can confirm that the Government has agreed not to oppose the Bill. The maximisation of the roll-out of solar infrastructure is a key …

Increasing the supply of housing is a priority for the Government and for our Department in particular. I am fully aware that the construction sector has faced a number of considerable challenges over the past year, not least the restrictions on construction activity introduced to combat the spread of Covid-19 and the impact of Brexit and related supply issues. Throughout this period, colleagues across Government have engaged with representatives from across the sector. Indeed the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, …

To clarify, the three Ministers are here to answer questions on the issues being raised today. I am very aware of the current challenges in the forestry sector and I acknowledge the implications of delays to the granting of licences for the wider industry and for the construction sector. We are fully aware of that. I am in regular contact with my colleague, the Minister of State, Senator Hackett. She is working with a range of stakeholders to address this issue, particularly through Project Woodland. It is a very d…

The Deputy is correct. It is a significant challenge. As I have said, the Minister of State, Senator Hackett, and the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, are determined to resolve these issues, the logjam about which the Deputy has spoken. There is no doubt but that this has had, and continues to have, a significant impact on the construction sector in Ireland. The Deputy specifically mentioned small construction companies and small one-off builders. This issue is particularly impacting on them, although it is also impac…

The Deputy is correct that the programme for Government contains a commitment to provide for the holding of a referendum on housing. It also commits to establishing a commission on housing to examine issues such as tenure, standards, sustainability and quality-of-life issues in the provision of housing. It is planned that the commission on housing will review the commitment to hold a referendum on housing once it has been formally established in September of this year. The chair designate for the commission was ann…

Again, the Deputy is correct. The work of the Government is underpinning a right to housing. Housing is being delivered at a scale of pace. As my colleagues have said, there is a record capital budget for this year and that will continue into the future until we make serious inroads into the housing crisis. It is important to note that the right to housing is recognised in Europe in the constitutions of Belgium, Finland, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden and in legislation in Austria, France, Germ…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 11 and 46 together. Given the enforcement role of certain staff in the NPWS and for reasons of operational security, the Department cannot provide details of staffing in the manner requested and I hope the Deputy will appreciate that. My Department's workforce planning process does not identify vacancies per se across different work sectors, whether arising from retirement or other factors but seeks to identify gaps in service delivery that can be addressed on a priority basis in li…

As I stated, the first intake of 20 rangers will be deployed in the coming weeks. On the specific issue of responding to particular incidents, yesterday the Minister and I were able to sign off on a memorandum of understanding with An Garda Síochána on tackling wildlife crime. This will bring a more strategic approach to the work we are doing. Later this year we will establish a dedicated wildlife crime unit within the NPWS, which is a first for this country. That will add additional resources and bring a much more…

I have been there three times and will hopefully be back there again to see the natterjack toads in a few weeks time. To respond to Deputies Griffin and Ó Cathasaigh on the sustainability of the jobs, as the Deputies will be aware we are in a process of reviewing the NPWS. Hopefully the outcome of that review will look at the sustainability of career paths within the NPWS. In Connemara last week, we met some of our staff who are retiring after 30 or 40 years of service, some of whom would have come in at an operati…

I thank the Deputy for the question. The Government set out its housing priorities in the programme for Government across numerous areas, including homelessness, affordable home ownership, private and social housing delivery, rent reform and planning. My Department is focusing on moving those priorities forward. To deliver on these commitments, I will publish a new housing policy and action plan, housing for all, in July. It will provide a whole-of-Government approach to housing policy and is at an advanced stage o…

The Deputy has made excellent suggestions that should be given consideration. The Government and the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, are considering, as a part of the town centres first initiative, a suite of measures that will support and unlock much of that potential. Deputies across the House have spoken about the need to unlock the potential in our smaller town centres and on our high streets. The option of living above shops should be available. Shops should be brought back down into full occupancy, giv…

The Deputy is correct. I see many of these properties as I travel across the country, not just in the west but all over. As I said, it is important that we use every mechanism possible to unlock the potential and get them back into productive use. Specifically, around the town centres, we are looking at four specific areas around governance, enabling economic and social purpose, a new living towns approach and aligning investment and resources. That will, therefore, address those specific issues in urban clusters a…

I thank the Deputy for tabling this matter, although the response may not exactly be on topic in terms of the specific issue he has raised. Applications for social housing supports are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. The 2011 regulations prescribe maximum net income limits for each local authority in three …

The Deputy has raised a significant issue. The review of income thresholds is under way. Within the frame of that it is important the issues raised this morning be given consideration. I apologise again to the Deputy; perhaps the question did not frame exactly the response he sought but there could be a follow-up with the Department. I urge him to make this representation through the review of income thresholds which is under way. It is probably the best place to try to give consideration to the flexibility the Dep…

The best place to deal with this is through the review process. Go raibh maith agat.

Gabhaim buíochas leis na Teachtaí. I welcome the opportunity to update the House on the position regarding rail freight into Dublin Port on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton. The Minister and the Minister of State strongly believe in the potential of rail freight and think it can play a bigger role in freight transport generally on this island. Both have spoken specifically on the potential for rail freight in the west. This is why, as part of the strategic rail review,…

Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, the Department worked with the ports and shipping companies to ensure sufficient capacity and connectivity to facilitate the movement of goods in and out of Ireland. Significant Government investment has gone into the customs, agriculture and immigration inspection facilities necessary since 1 January 2021. There has been a remarkable response from the shipping sector in the context of a significant number of additional sailings direct to the Continent as a result of mar…