Supply is increasing. That is a fact. The Government is focused, collectively, on implementing all strands of Housing for All. New public stock is not just delivered by our local authorities. It is also delivered by approved housing bodies and the LDA. The question is, when it comes to this House making decisions, which might be difficult ones where trade-offs are involved in our planning system, will the Deputy support the new consolidated planning Bill that will be brought before this House with a view to acceler…

Yes, we will. Deputy Boyd Barrett should also put the full facts on the record when he talks about the performance of the local authorities in Dublin. The four Dublin local authorities currently have 2,000 homes under construction on various sites and in excess of 3,700 others in the pipeline for delivery at this point in time. Shanganagh is under way. The LDA is now building homes - public housing and affordable cost rental housing - for the first time through the direct involvement of the State.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is also providing €100 million to local authorities to help them clear legacy debt. This will assist in accelerating the delivery of social homes on sites that local authorities own by taking away the debt related to them. He is also putting in place a fund for the Housing Agency to assist it in assembling land banks around the country so that we can accelerate the delivery of public homes all over Ireland.

I thank Deputy Canney for raising this matter. In many ways it speaks to the issue we have been discussing for the past half an hour. Everyone agrees there is a housing crisis and we face a huge challenge to deliver homes all over the country. However, as soon as something is proposed that is an imposition on somebody, in some cases a major imposition, then objections are raised, progress is stalled and barriers are put in the way. That is the fundamental choice we face as a country. On this issue, when locally ele…

I thank Deputy Canney. There is no problem with engagement, which should always take place between stakeholders. Of course farmers have issues with this measure and will be affected by it. This is a tax of the Department of Finance. The Revenue Commissioners are involved. The local authorities have a central role, as has the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the relevant Minister is directly involved as well. The draft maps were published by all 31 local authorities on 1 November 2022. Where…

It is important to clarify the position with regard to the Patient Safety (Notifiable Patient Safety Incidents) Bill 2019 and the key issue of open disclosure, which has been raised here. We should not confuse clinical audits with patient-requested reviews. They are different. They are explained clearly in the report that was published by the expert review group. A new patient-requested review process has been developed for screening, following the guidelines from the expert group, and designed in conjunction with …

Very few countries currently have mandatory disclosure-----

We will have the debate with the Minister but that is-----

-----the kernel of the issue that has been raised with me and that I have heard raised publicly. The Oireachtas will perform its function in respect of the legislative process and that will take place, as I understand it, tomorrow evening.

Deputy Bríd Smith raised the issue of the EU aviation agreements. I again underline the importance of international connectivity for us, as an island nation, from tourism and trade points of view. I hope the House will agree with the motion that has been placed before it.

I assure Deputy Mattie McGrath that the Government is working very hard on all strands relating to inward migration, people fleeing the war in Ukraine and those seeking international protection. There will be a further Cabinet committee on that issue on Monday of next week. We have an obligation to fulfil our international responsibilities and we will continue to do that. On the issue raised by Deputy Tóibín, it is important again to put on the record, while recognising the real clinical concerns raised by the HSE,…

I thank the Deputy. I appreciate that the cold weather, which has arrived and will get worse, is a real concern for many households. We want people to be comfortable in their homes. I will take up the specific issue she has raised about the timeframe that some applications for additional needs payments are taking and her suggestion regarding CWOs. I ask people who are in need to engage with the Department and, indeed, with their utility companies, but, above all else, to stay warm and comfortable in the days ahead.

I thank the Deputy. The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, has spoken to some colleagues on this issue and has made it clear that, contrary some reports, the ED in Navan is not closing this month. Of course, a concern the Deputy has is the knock-on consequences for Drogheda and the ambulance bypass protocol. The only change, as I understand it, is in a very exceptional and specific circumstance where in the opinion of the paramedic in the ambulance, some discretion is being provided on certain narrow grounds the Mi…

I thank Deputy Gannon. The Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, are very much aware of this issue. They have already taken a number of steps, including on a temporary basis for the current school year that job-sharing teachers may be employed to work in a substitute capacity during the period they are rostered off. The limits on substitute work applying to teachers on career break has also been temporarily suspended. The Teaching Council made regulations allowing for the registration o…

I thank Deputy Kenny for raising this issue. I do not have a specific answer to hand. I will ask the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, to revert to the Deputy on any consideration being given to changing the age eligibility for the breast cancer screening programme.

I thank Deputy Shanahan. My understanding is the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, are supportive of the single European sky initiative. They have been engaging with counterparts from throughout Europe. They have been setting out the Irish position at the relevant Council meeting and they will continue to do so.

I thank Deputy McGrath. To be fair it might be more appropriate for the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, to have that meeting. I will ask him to do so. I think the interests of the child are paramount. What we should be working towards is that there is reunification, particularly at Christmas when people deserve to spend time with their families, but on the proviso that what is paramount first and foremost is what is in the interests of the child. We have to respect the work that Tusla does. It is operationally independe…

I thank Deputy Pringle for raising this issue. I am reluctant to give a commitment on the floor of the House that cannot be stood over and implemented but I understand the point he is making. The spirit of what has been decided is clear and we have to find a way of giving effect to it. I will discuss the issue with the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and we will revert to the Deputy.

I thank Deputy Devlin for raising this issue. A cornerstone of the Sláintecare policy is that we move towards public activity in our public hospitals. As Deputy Devlin knows discussions have been under way for quite some time between the HSE and the Department of Health with the relevant bodies, namely, the IMO and the Irish Hospital Consultants Association. I have been briefed as to the current state of play. The Cabinet committee has also discussed the matter. Discussions are now at a very advanced stage. We hope…

I thank Deputy O'Donnell who has raised a question in which many consumers throughout the country will be interested on feeding through reduced wholesale gas prices to the domestic electricity and gas prices charged to households and businesses in Ireland. As the Deputy knows, pricing is a matter for the companies themselves. He can be assured the Minister, Deputy Ryan, the Department and the CRU are in ongoing engagement on this issue and with the companies themselves, while recognising the fact that setting the p…