The leaks from today's Cabinet meeting suggest that the concrete levy will be reduced from 10% to 5% and introduced next September rather than in April. This was clearly a decision made in response to the correct assertions from the Opposition in this House and every expert outside it that the levy would increase the cost of building homes in the midst of a housing and inflationary crisis. Did the Cabinet seek or receive any advice that a 5% levy would not also increase the cost of building homes? What advice has t…

Did the Taoiseach get advice?

Did the Taoiseach get any advice on the levy and what did it say?

The Government got no advice.

A text message that I received yesterday asked me to raise an issue in the House in the discussion on pay-as-you-go meters. It states: Can you bring it up in the Dail, when they are discussing the Pay as you go meters, that the emergency credit with esb is only €5 which comes off when you put another voucher in? It takes the €5 which cuts off after the €5 credit is used and cuts off, so if we don’t have at least €10 we have no electricity because you can only put €10 is the lowest we can put in. The meter takes the…

I ask the Minister for an update on the review of the disabled drivers and disabled passengers scheme. The scheme has provided supports for those who have been able to avail of it but it has been described by the Ombudsman as "excessively restrictive". It has been the subject of a Supreme Court ruling and its deficiencies have led to the resignation of the entire board of appeals.

I thank the Minister of State for her reply, but there is nothing in it that I can bring back to my constituents, who have raised concerns on this issue, that would provide them with any assurances. I wish to correct the Minister of State on one point. The Minister for Finance did not act at the behest of concerns that were raised, because concerns have been raised about this scheme for years. The Minister acted as a result of a Supreme Court ruling that essentially forced the Government to introduce emergency legi…

I refer to the board of appeal. The entire board resigned en masse almost a year ago. My understanding is that it has proven very difficult for the Department to find others to sit on the board, precisely because they are being put into an impossible situation. They are adjudicating on heartbreaking appeals and the criteria set down means they have no flexibility in awarding payments. What is the update in respect of reinstating the board of appeal, considering more than 670 people are awaiting the outcome of appea…

The finance Bill is set to be published next week. Will the concrete block levy be part of it? We have heard conflicting reports and briefings. I put it to the Minister that the proposal for this concrete block levy should be scrapped. It is a ludicrous notion to increase the cost of building homes at a time when we are facing an unprecedented housing and inflationary crisis. Incredibly, those families that were impacted by the defective blocks scandal and Celtic tiger-era fire safety defects will be forced to pay …

No, I did not. That is not-----

The Minister knows it is not.

Will the Minister answer the question?

When the Taoiseach and other political leaders stood together on Saturday night in Creeslough, with families and a community that had suffered a terrible loss, he was representing Irish people everywhere. There are no words that could properly express the heartbreak, pain and sorrow felt by so many. Ten precious lives are gone and a small community is devastated. The shock from this small village was felt across Ireland and beyond. Irish people everywhere are stunned. Many naturally feel that Creeslough could be th…

Every political issue is put into perspective by our previous conversation and contributions. Focus Ireland has published its annual report on homelessness and it makes for alarming reading. The report states that rising homelessness in Ireland is not inevitable but rather it is the result of the wrong political decisions and that the crisis will only get worse this winter unless the Government acts now with urgency. The words of Focus Ireland founder, Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy, capture the heartbreaking reality of th…

The Taoiseach said the homelessness issue goes to the heart of the type of society we want to be. What does it say about our society under his Government that homelessness figures are rising month on month and are now reaching what would be the horrendous scandal of a figure of 11,000? These are real people. They are people's sons, daughters, nieces, nephews and neighbours. The Taoiseach indicated the conditions need to be right. What conditions precisely do we need to justify an eviction ban, considering those num…

Tenants need support now.

This Topical Issue matter deals specifically with the issue of the income limits in place for social housing applicants. Many people are surprised to learn that social housing income limits are a relatively new concept. They were introduced, to its shame, by a Labour Party Minister after the financial crash. In my view, and I have yet to be corrected on this, they were introduced with a single purpose, namely, to reduce the number of people on local authority housing lists without having to go to the bother of actu…

We need to set some things out in order to avoid any confusion. Social housing tenants pay rent in direct proportion to their income. Despite the impression that is sometimes given of free houses, there is no incentive for wealthy people to apply for a council house because they will probably pay more rent than they would in the private sector and certainly more than they would for a mortgage. As they currently stand, income limits are simply preventing people who will never qualify for a mortgage from accessing th…

The Taoiseach will be aware that the A5-N2 road artery has been raised on numerous occasions in all-Ireland discussions and has been included in several national development plans and other projects. This year, however, all funding for the section of the N2 from Clontibret to the Border was removed and works stalled. I ask the Taoiseach to assure the House that he will use his position to assure the people of the north-west and central Border regions, including my county of Monaghan, that funding will be allocated …

I asked about the section of the N2 from Clontibret to the Border.