Those were very useful contributions. I think that collectively we all agree right across the House that cost-rental has a significant role to play in, as Senator Pauline O'Reilly said, calming the market and moving towards a more mature, sustainable, European-type approach to the rental sector in Ireland, which we have not had to date. No doubt we have all heard of the state-of-the-art Vienna model that has been spoken about. I think we can achieve that over time and get towards 20,000 cost-rental units per year, …

I thank the Senators for their contributions. Senator Higgins referred to limited equity returns. That will probably be dealt with in amendment No. 62. We might address that then.

I appreciate that. I take on board the contributions from other Senators about ethical investments, sustainable funds, the dual role of the State, and limited, modest returns for funds, which we will address separately. I will address amendment No. 60, tabled by Senator Warfield, amendment No. 61, tabled by Senators Higgins and Ruane, and amendment No. 66, tabled by Senators Moynihan and Bacik of the Labour Party. Amendments Nos. 61 and 66 propose to increase the length of designation of cost-rental dwellings to no…

This has been well debated. As Senators Fitzpatrick and Cummins both said, there is a role for limited equity funds to support the State's ambition of achieving the target of 20,000 cost-rental units, which figure has been mentioned. It is an important and significant figure and one we all wish to achieve collectively. Therefore, there is a role for the funds. The Austrian model, or Vienna model, has been mooted as the state-of-the-art model but it relies on both private and public investment. That is consistent wi…

The Senator is correct they are sensible and require due consideration. That is important. If the Senator is happy to move to Report Stage with that, we would be happy to give them consideration there.

No.

This amendment will affect the way in which the Minister in his role as regulator of the cost rental sector may prescribe processes for how landlords deal with voluntary departures from multiple-person tenancies. The Senator may have misunderstood the purpose of the subsection and thought it was something to do with evictions. It is certainly not. This element of the Bill deals with how, when multiple tenants are sharing a cost rental home and are jointly and severally liable under the tenancy, one or more, but not…

I will address Senators' comments in reverse; it is the way I am wired, so please forgive me. On Senator Moynihan's comments, we have explained that the provision is driven by a modest return. That is prescribed and is quite clear. On Senator Higgins' comments about upward-only rents, I would be loath to allow that comment to leave the Chamber because it might be alarmist and imply we are heading back into an upward-only rent type of situation. That is not the case, or I certainly do not think so. The rent shall be…

"It’s like an abandoned place that people forgot about, it’s like we’re forgotten, we feel like garbage." That was the testimonial of a 12-year-old girl interviewed for the recent No End in Site report published by the Ombudsman for Children's Office. What struck me most when reading the report was not so much its shocking content, but just how familiar it all sounded. Indeed, it could have been one of many possible sites across the country. In 2015, I attended the funerals of some of the victims of the Carrickmine…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Cuív as an gceist seo a ardú agus as an seans a thabhairt dom dualgas Uisce Éireann a leagan amach sa chás seo. Seo obair thábhachtach agus tuigim gur ábhar imní é go áitiúil i gCill Rónáin, Inis Mór. Tá brón orm ach tá an freagra as Béarla. As the Deputy will understand, this is a matter for Irish Water in the first instance. Since 1 January 2014, Irish Water has had statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta Ó Cuív arís as an gceist faoi chóras séarachais i gCill Rónáin, Inis Mór, Árainn a ardú. I understand how the lack of satisfactory water services and sewerage systems can affect communities, business and the environment. I take on board and appreciate the frustration of the Deputy in this regard. His last point is significant. It is one on which we will follow up in our inquiries with Irish Water. The works planned in the second half of 2021 are an immediate priority for Irish Water…

The Senator is correct, and I wish my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, the very best in the ongoing negotiations, which are critical in the context of the future viability and sustainability of farming in Ireland. We will certainly fight Ireland's case in that regard. The Senator is correct about the significant challenge. The challenge of generational renewal is widely recognised at both national and EU levels. It is about anticipating and managing risk. Slightly mo…

I agree with the Senator on the 2% for generation renewal. Consultations are ongoing but it is certainly not sufficient to address what is a crisis in farming. Generational renewal is a vital concern for farm families and it is a challenging issue. Inheritance and farm transfers are complex. I have highlighted the vital and substantial support provided through the taxation system for generational renewal. Additional supports include €159 million for agriculture relief for 1,413 participants, €27.2 million for 10,82…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Seanadóir as ucht an t-ábhar seo a ardú inniu. I acknowledge that this is a human health matter and that there is also a cost to businesses, many of which have been dealing with lockdown over recent months and are seeking signs of hope from the pandemic towards a brighter summer. This is the summer of the outdoors, as the Taoiseach has stated. It is really important that our wastewater treatment plants and bathing areas are in a condition in which people can enjoy bathing in a safe manner. …

The Senator is correct. It is collective responsibility. It is not just that of Irish Water. We are embarking on a whole new cycle of river basin management plans, the public consultation for which will commence shortly, and on marine protected areas. There is a lot of work we must do collectively. The Government is committed to working in partnership with Irish Water to resolve these infrastructural deficits that have existed for far too long and have caused the significant problems in Kilkee. There is an update o…

The case was very well made by the Senator. The funding system for local authorities is complex, with authorities deriving their income from a variety of sources, including commercial rates, charges for goods and services, and funding from central government. Local authorities vary significantly from one another in terms of size, population, population distribution, public service demands, infrastructure and other income sources. All of these factors should be taken into account when comparing levels of funding for…

I note the concerns of the Senator. Every local authority is facing similar challenges. We can look towards the budgetary process for 2022, whereby elected members can again give consideration to the LPT, which is a mechanism that can be used. I reiterate that the Minister of State, Deputy Burke, is committed to working with Galway County Council to try to resolve these issues, notwithstanding the significant pressures on local government and the recognition that local government, through the community call, has be…

I welcome this matter and thank the Deputy for making such a valuable contribution it. It is important that we continue to debate this issue. The programme for Government made recommendations for how the deployment of renewable electricity can be speeded up, for example by provision and permissioning of grid connections, such as completing the Celtic interconnector to connect Ireland's electricity grid to France. The Department's publication of the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) Bill marked a…

Again, I thank Deputy Farrell. The net zero by 2050 roadmap produced by the IEA envisions that by 2050, global energy demand will be 8% smaller than it is today but will service an economy twice as big and a population with 2 billion more people, and that almost 90% of electricity generation will come from renewable sources. Energy security will evolve on the path to net zero. Electricity system flexibility, cybersecurity and reliable supplies of critical minerals will all become more important. Most of the world's…

I thank Deputy Funchion for this question. The national broadband plan contract was signed with National Broadband Ireland in November 2019 to roll out a high-speed and future-proofed broadband network within the intervention area, which covers 1.1 million people living and working in more than 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools. The high-speed broadband map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie , shows the areas that will be included in the national broadba…