It was section 2, as far as I am aware.

Yes.

While I am on my feet, I would be happy to take Senator McDowell up on that offer.

The regular management, maintenance and improvement of local authority housing stock is a matter for each relevant local authority. The Department supports local authorities to improve their social housing stock through a range of funding programmes including energy retrofitting, regeneration and refurbishment works to vacant properties in order to return these to productive use as quickly as possible. Dubllin City Council has a large stock of social housing and I understand that it has completed a strategic develo…

I wholeheartedly agree. The Deputy referred to the design of the flats by Dublin city architect Herbert Simms, which were built between 1936 and 1938. I am familiar with Pearse House. From a heritage perspective, these flat complexes throughout the city are vitally important. The Deputy rightly points out the issue of dampness. This is a significant public health problem, which causes respiratory problems for families. We hope to have that addressed. It is also important to the note the embodied energy in these bui…

The Minister has committed to a meeting. Just to outline the works on Pearse House in the past 24 months, all roofs were repaired in 2018. Blocks A and C had their roofs upgraded in March 2019. Stairwells were repaired in 2019. A drainage survey of the entire complex was completed in 2018. There were repairs to the network system, and upgrades to the fire and domestic alarms and ventilation units, which relate to dampness, a matter the Deputy raised. These are ongoing refurbishments and are part of a wider in-depth…

I thank the Deputies for raising this issue. We have all been taken aback by it and the scenes we have witnessed are shocking. My Department and I are aware of last weekend's peat slide near the Meenbog wind farm, which is currently under construction close to Barnesmore Gap south of Ballybofey, County Donegal. The matter is being actively investigated by a number of statutory agencies led by Donegal County Council, including the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Irish Water, the Loughs Agency, the National Par…

I chaired the interagency group in the wake of the Drumkeeran landslide. We have met on a number of occasions. We have an excellent report, which I have read. It has some very good recommendations that we can learn from. There is no doubt that weather-related events seem to have had an impact, in particular a very dry spring followed by heavy rain falls in respect of Drumkeeran. As I indicated earlier, the matter is under investigation by a cross-Border multi-agency group. It is important that we allow it to do its…

I appreciate the issue of defective concrete blocks is a particularly emotive one for households and I sympathise with all who are caught in this distressing situation. It is very worrying for those affected. The issue came to light in 2013 when significant cracking of external walls was recorded in houses in Donegal and Mayo. An expert panel was established in 2016 to investigate the incidence and causes of this cracking. As part of its work, the panel was asked to identify the numbers of dwellings which appeared …

The Department would need to see the substantive information the Deputy mentioned that supports Clare County Council's request for an extension of the scheme to County Clare. There is an opportunity for Clare County Council to take the lead and, first, demonstrate that the issues in Clare are, in fact, due to the presence of excessive levels of deleterious materials, whether mica or pyrite, in the aggregate used to manufacture the concrete blocks. Second, the council should quantify the extent of the problem in the…

Senator Flynn has summed up, in essence, what we are trying to achieve. I take on board all the comments. It is also important to state that during my attendance in the Seanad in recent weeks, I have been deeply impressed with the level of debate. I thank Senators McDowell, Higgins and Craughwell for bringing forward this Bill. I also thank the members of the Seanad reform implementation group, which was chaired by Senator McDowell. Its work led to the creation of this Bill, alongside the contribution of the 2018 r…

I thank both Deputy Ó Broin and Deputy Mitchell for raising this issue and for putting forward constructive proposals regarding it. As we are all aware, last night Dublin city councillors voted by 48 votes to 14 not to transfer lands at Oscar Traynor Road as part of a development agreement to deliver 853 homes on the site. That was a democratic decision of the local authority members. If I may, I would like to provide the House with some context on this matter, as I understand it. This site has been vacant since th…

I reiterate that the advice of the council's executive to council members was that an exhaustive process was undertaken in recent years and the proposed delivery model, which was agreed through Dublin City Council, was considered the most effective way to deliver the site both in terms of mixed tenure and from a financial perspective. Notwithstanding this, I note the decision of the council, which will now, no doubt, take some time to consider its next steps. My Department will endeavour to support the council with…

I thank the Deputy for bringing this important issue to the attention of the House. I welcome the comprehensive report from the EPA showing that, while many serious challenges remain, Irish Water is continuing to make progress and is improving the performance of our waste water systems. The Deputy will appreciate that, since 2014, Irish Water has taken on the full statutory responsibility for all aspects of water services planning, delivery and operation at national, regional and local level. In turn, the EPA, as e…

I thank Deputy Matthews for making those very important points about Irish Water and the capital investment programme required. It will take a nationwide approach to prioritising planning and investment. The company has developed a long-term investment perspective in order to address the deficiencies in public water and waste water systems. The company is closely regulated by both the EPA and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities, CRU. I noted the Deputy's comments in the Wicklow Times today. He referred to ou…

I thank the Senators who tabled this motion for my daily visit to the Seanad. Before I get to the substantive issue of the motion, I wish to refer to the robust debate we have had. It must be that way sometimes, but I am always impressed by the level of debate in this House. It is important to point out that, in an era of political online campaigning where politics are increasingly fought in a different arena, financing in our political system has a significant influence on the outcome of elections, referendums and…

I thank Senator O'Reilly for raising this matter. I recall the virtual platform we shared with representatives from our sister city of Formigine in Italy. It was a very enjoyable experience. The matter raised by the Senator must be considered in the context of Ireland's approach to dealing with the coronavirus pandemic and in particular, the level 5 restrictions currently in place. The Government has spelled out specific areas where certain activities may continue during the level 5 phase but the general approach i…

I take on board the points made by the Senator. I agree with him that many people have, throughout this year, had a really terrible experience and had life experiences robbed from them. Family events and family occasions have all been denied to people. Our memories of this year will be very painful ones collectively for the nation and globally and it is important to acknowledge that. We are still unsure of the trajectory of this pandemic. We could certainly ease restrictions in December and end up in a very challen…

Yes, if that is okay. I have an important vote in the other House.

I am pleased to have an opportunity to take part in this Second Stage debate. It has been a very informed and wide-ranging debate so far. I thank Senators Byrne, Casey and Cassells for introducing the Bill, which enables us to debate and consider the relevant issues around extending the franchise of the universities panel of Seanad Éireann to all citizens of Ireland who are over the age of 18 and hold an appropriate third level qualification from an Irish institution of higher education. Before I get into the body …