You are welcome to visit it.

This week, Dublin Bus announced it is back to pre-pandemic passenger levels. That places Ireland ahead of the international curve with places like the Netherlands and Canada still at 70%. There are, however, pressures on the system and both Dublin Bus and the private operators who appeared at the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications said they are having issues with recruitment and meeting service levels. Will the Government continue to put pressure on the people who have put themselves forward to carry o…

Like the other Deputies, I urge the Taoiseach to name a date and a chairperson for the citizens' assembly. I join the Taoiseach in congratulating the chairs of the two previous bodies. We have a citizens' assembly infrastructure. It has dealt with two issues and we have two more to go. I can appreciate why it has taken some time to get here. There is a commitment in the programme for Government. That is positive. Both the Taoiseach and his predecessor have committed to having it in 2023. That is hopeful. Along with…

We return to the Government side. I call Deputy James O'Connor.

The next speaking slot is Sinn Féin's but I will call Deputy Berry, if that is okay. I will then return to Sinn Féin.

We will return to the Government slot. Deputy Murnane O'Connor has eight minutes.

That concludes the statements. We will move to the questions portion. While there is no set time on the questions, I am gauging interest in the Chamber. I ask Members to be concise, to confine themselves to approximately two minutes and to allow the Minister of State two minutes to reply. The first group is Sinn Féin.

We will have time for a number of rounds.

Like other speakers, I congratulate the Tánaiste and the Minister of State on their appointments. Our party has a strong record of independent foreign policy, working within the European family and working within the multilateral rules-based order. Both Deputies will bring all those values to us and we wish them the best of luck. I ask the Tánaiste to outline his recent call with the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, and to comment on the recent appointment by the United States of the new special envoy to Nor…

In his continued conversations with Secretary of State Blinken, I hope the Tánaiste will continue to underscore the important role the US has played over those 25 years. In many ways, the US in the past played a role as a counterbalance to the British taking a more selfish, strategic and economic interest in the North. One of the most powerful things in the Downing Street Declaration was the British Government's admission that it no longer has a selfish, strategic or economic interest in Northern Ireland. It allowe…

I take the Tánaiste's point. However, I think more can be done to manage the flow of migration. I have no doubt that the Biden Administration is ready to provide support. I welcome the Tánaiste's comments with regard to the appointment of Joe Kennedy as special envoy. Senator Malcolm Byrne and I, as conveners of the US friendship group, have already spoken to the US ambassador. We look forward to engaging with Mr. Kennedy. The North of Ireland has an important opportunity to exploit the potential of both the EU and…

Will the Tánaiste outline the details of the new shared island civic society fund? While I welcome the capital projects, I am anxious to see a project that would facilitate civic dialogue. I welcome this initiative and thank the Tánaiste for announcing it. Will the Tánaiste report on his recent meetings with Wavetron?

On the shared island civic society fund, I was 20 years of age in 1997 when the Good Friday Agreement was signed. The majority of people on this island have adult memories that do not involve the Troubles. That is a positive thing. However, it also means that we must make sure we do not forget the lessons that were learned from the Good Friday Agreement, namely, ideas around parity of esteem and a shared space. The civic society fund is an important way of getting people to engage with one another. I wish to talk a…

It is funny the Tánaiste should mention applications. We are already working on one in Ballymun with some groups in east Belfast. We hope to be able to bring together young people from both perspectives and to avail of funding. I ask the Tánaiste to look favourably on that application. I am sure many other Deputies will ask him to do the same. The communities of east Belfast and Ballymun are similar in many ways. They face similar economic challenges, and the young people from both have many issues in common. The t…

I have Deputy O'Connor to my left and Deputy Murnane O'Connor to my right, both of whom have raised the issue of the national car test, NCT, waiting list times. I continue, even this week, to get queries from people who are not able to secure NCT appointments and who have even had to wait months for the cancellation list. I have particular concern for the older people who come into my clinics. They want to be able to follow the rules and they are afraid to drive without an NCT, so they worry about that cliff edge c…

It was good to hear the Taoiseach outline the details of one of the strongest public housing programmes in decades and I look forward to getting those final details for last year. One of the other commitments in Housing for All is to having a better fit of existing stock for those people who need it, including through reviewing the housing aid for older people grant, which many councillors work with their constituents to deliver as part of the local authority system, allowing them to make changes to bathrooms and a…

I was in the Ceann Comhairle's seat earlier. When one is chairing the Dáil, one should be independent. I found myself inadvertently nodding in agreement each time Deputy Ó Cuív spoke, which I imagine is inappropriate. I have never seen the Ceann Comhairle do it.

I have to reflect on Deputy Ó Cuív's contribution. For me, it sums up Fianna Fáil's approach to social housing. We have a long-standing commitment to the concept of social and public housing. There are criticisms of where that policy differed in the past. I repeat the line that I gave in the motion of confidence in the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, during the week, that a Fianna Fáil Minister in this new Government has provided more money so that local authorities can build more houses, and homes will be availa…

Deputy Collins is right that is has been going on for 30 years but we must acknowledge that in the nearly two and a half years in which we have had a Fianna Fáil Minister - we had this debate on Wednesday night - we have made those changes. We are committed to public housing. We want to deliver it. I accept the politics of competition where we all have to criticise each other's performances, and so on, but by any objective assessment, the tools we have given local authorities will mean we will be able to build more…

I have a very specific question for the Minister of State. I hope to hear good news. Chuaigh mé chuig Gaelscoil Uí Earcáin i bhFionnghlas an mhí seo caite. Is scoil iontach í le hiarscoláirí agus múinteoirí iontacha. The school is doing a great job in a very poor building. Schools are often very slow to talk about the failings of their premises because they want to project the best possible impression. They want to attract children and they want parents to have confidence in the school. Before I say anything else, …