On the issue Deputy Mythen raised, we should be in a position to apply the flood scheme, the humanitarian assistance scheme. I will talk to the Tánaiste's office and see if we can follow up on that, if that has not happened already, because there is no issue with that where storms happen and damage is done. In response to Deputy MacSharry, that was a pilot scheme in respect of Ukrainians. We have now, with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, also said that we want to build rapid-build housing f…

What we are saying now is that, in addition to the record number of social houses we have built this year, we will-----

-----now also consider rapid-build housing. In response to Deputy McNamara, those people on that scheme should not suffer a reduction in income from the new scheme. I will take that up with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

We want more and more people engaged in environmentally friendly farming. That is a fabulous scheme in the Burren. We need more of those schemes, and farmers need to be compensated and to have income streams that encourage and incentivise restoration and protection of biodiversity. In response to Deputy Patricia Ryan, there should be equity in respect of funding of Men's Sheds and Women's Sheds. I suppose Men's Sheds have been there a number of years, there is a higher number of them and so on, but the number of Wo…

Ar dtús báire, déanaim comhghairdeas le Príomh-Aire nua na Breataine, Rishi Sunak, as é a bheith tofa mar phríomh-aire. Guím gach rath air agus é ag obair ar son mhuintir na Breataine. Beidh mé ag caint leis níos déanaí, mar a luaigh an Teachta, agus inseoidh mé dó go bhfuil géarghá ann anois le tús a chur le cainteanna substaintiúla idir an tAontas Eorpach agus Rialtas na Breataine agus, mar aon leis sin, go bhfuil géarghá anois le hinstitiúidí an Tuaiscirt a thabhairt ar ais chomh luath agus is féidir - láithreac…

First of all, we want the institutions restored, and I make that plea to the DUP. The Good Friday Agreement provides for meetings of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference to promote bilateral co-operation on matters of mutual interest and to consider non-devolved Northern Ireland matters. It makes provision for the Irish Government to put forward views and proposals, recognising the Irish Government's special interest in Northern Ireland. That is in recognition of that special interest we have. In the even…

First of all, I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, and by prefacing her remarks by referring to some good news. It does not normally happen in exchanges between the Opposition and the Government sides. However, I do take the point made by the Deputy. Today's price is the lowest since June, and it is down more than 70% from the record level of 640 pence hit in August. That is the gas spot price in the UK market. It is around 190 pence a therm today. That is the lowest since June and considerably lowe…

The regulator has powers in respect of these issues. This is the worst energy crisis we have had. It surpasses even that of the 1970s. By definition, it is feeding into the price in the market and that is why the Government has taken unprecedented moves in the recent budget to provide substantial payments across the social protection system between now and the end of the year. The energy credit and a whole range of other reduction of costs initiatives have been undertaken to try to enable people to get through the …

No one has been more proactive than the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in dealing with issues in respect of defective blocks and apartments. He has commissioned the largest and most significant survey of apartment defects in this country. He has the results of that report. He has indicated repeatedly to the House that he will be bringing forward a scheme by the end of this year in respect of apartment defects. He has already introduced a most comprehensive scheme in res…

Fianna Fáil did not open the door to anybody-----

-----and the Deputy should not absolve people who have their own responsibilities, namely, those who build. There is always responsibility-----

That is just classic politicking-----

-----by the Deputy and political spin. I am more interested in getting this issue resolved for the residents.

The bottom line is, as the Deputy knows, the Minister brought a memorandum to Government in September and informed us of the content of the report he had published in July, outlining the scale of the issue, where 100,000 apartments have been impacted with a potential cost of approximately €1.56 billion to €2.5 billion - within that range. The Minister will bring proposals on this scheme to the Cabinet before the end of the year and all of the issues the Deputy has referred to are under examination. I am not going t…

We are now well into October and it is not too long until the end of the year. No one is kicking any can down the road. This is a very significant issue. We have already allocated up to €2.8 billion for the mica scheme and a further €1 billion for pyrite. These issues have to be taken seriously. They involve a great deal of expenditure on behalf of the taxpayer. We take our responsibilities seriously and go through it in a proper and serious-minded way.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for the constructive manner in which he has approached it. From what the Deputy has outlined, I have suggested to the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, that he should go up to County Louth for the weekend, where the Deputy could take him around to a few more sites. The Deputy's points are well made. Housing is the biggest issue facing us as a society and we have to facilitate all construction types. We have to reduce and stop objecting left, right and centre to various projects…

I do not know what is holding back development on the particular site the Deputy is talking about. If it is shovel-ready, has planning permission and so on, it should go ahead. I ask the Deputy to give the details of those voids to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. We want to address voids as quickly as possible. There is no limit on funding for councils to get voids back into use. There is no limit in that regard.

We have made it very clear that we want the councils to move very quickly on voids and to get them back into use as quickly as possible. Some 7,000 have been brought back into use since this Government was formed. We will retain a relentless focus on that aspect of housing because the Deputy is correct; if a house is idle because someone has left it for any reason, the local authority should move quickly to get somebody else in there.

There is nothing lying on the Minister's desk. There has been a very substantial increase in core funding for the health service. The Minister has published an initiative to deal with this winter. There are concerns about a combination of a flu outbreak and a return of the Covid virus, which could cause very significant difficulties with regard to admissions to hospital. That is why there has been a stronger focus on primary care and community care. The enhanced community care programme is a very significant develo…

There has been a very significant expansion of special needs education in both the primary and post-primary sector, the budget for which increased by a further 12%. Approximately €2.6 billion is now spent on special education. We have established additional posts including posts for new special needs assistants and teachers. Approximately 392 new special classes have been sanctioned by the NCSE for the 2022-23 period. Those are the figures. I will seek clarity on the issue the Deputy raised with regard to the NCSE …