I ask the Deputy to be very brief. We have dealt with these questions, but I will give the Deputy an opportunity.

I am going to move back briefly to Question No. 6 from Deputy Lahart. After this, just to be fair to everybody, I am not going to go back any more if someone is not here. Just to be fair to Deputy Lahart, I will let him in now.

I thank the Deputy.

I have two supplementary questions, 30 seconds each. I will let Deputy Farrell in first and then come to Deputy Colm Burke.

Thirty seconds.

We will go to Question No.-----

Deputy Connolly has been waiting patiently. I will allow him one minute to ask a supplementary question.

Let the Minister of State respond please.

This Government is protecting renters. Not only are we protecting renters, we are moving as quickly as possible on this. In line with last week's Government approval for the urgent drafting of legislation to extend and expand the operation of the RPZs, I welcome the publication of the necessary legislation, the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Bill, for urgent enactment today. The reality is that if we did nothing, the rent pressure zones as they stand would have fallen at the end of this year. That is a fact. It …

Fianna Fáil supports the Bill, which will provide for a new method of calculating the local property tax liabilities in advance of the new valuation period set to commence in 2026. The proposed changes to local property tax will mean that most homeowners will remain in their present valuation bands, which is to be welcomed. Base local property tax charges will increase a small amount in proportion to property values. A small number of properties will pay a larger amount than before, either as a result of moving val…

I was a councillor on Kilkenny County Council for ten years. Kilkenny County Council increased its property tax by 15%. The benefits that came to every single community in the county were unbelievable. Footpaths were upgraded and additional lighting was put in. There was investment in playgrounds and remedial grants, which went from €34,000 to €200,000. Each council had a discretionary fund which it could allocate to its communities. That 15% allocation increase to local property tax made a difference to the people…

-----came up with a concrete proposal as to how it was going to do this. Not once did Sinn Féin say which playgrounds it would shut down, which roads it was not going to fund, which libraries it was going to close or which community groups that get amenity grants in the constituency were going to lose funding as a result. All we are hearing from Sinn Féin is soundbite after soundbite. I will not sit here and take lectures from Sinn Féin on its economic policy. This Government does not have bags of sterling lying ar…

Hear, hear.

Two and a half minutes, is it?

I appreciate the opportunity to speak here this afternoon on such an important topic. As Deputies know, the housing crisis is the single greatest issue facing this generation. I, like many of my colleagues, have spoken to so many people who still feel locked out of the property market. They are, perhaps, living at home, or are young people living abroad because they see a better quality of life and a better chance abroad. There are working families in a rental trap, unable to afford a mortgage. There are social hou…

I think the Leas Cheann-Comhairle has the time wrong. I thought it was five-----

I think the Leas Cheann-Comhairle is wrong.

I have seen first-hand the devastating impact that flooding can have on homes, businesses, people, families and communities. I understand the flooding problem cannot be eliminated but it can be managed and mitigated to reduce its likelihood, severity or impact. It is in that context that I ask for an update from the Minister of State on flooding projects that are in planning or in progress in Carlow and Kilkenny.

I thank the Minister of State for his comprehensive response. I get that flood relief schemes are complex projects and there is a lot of detailed engineering analysis, public engagement, etc. I will focus on the Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch flood relief scheme specifically. In 2018, funding was announced for this project following significant funding in 2016. The Minister of State was in this role in a previous Government. In 2020 I was chairman of Kilkenny County Council. In March 2020 a €9 million contract for a fl…

I thank the Minister of State and genuinely acknowledge and appreciate his support for new schemes. I know he is doing everything he can. We spoke privately about these on a number of occasions. Regarding tranche 2 flood relief schemes, and we spoke about Graiguenamanagh and Tinnahinch, there are other schemes in Kilkenny, such as Freshford, Piltown, Inistioge and Thomastown in particular. They are in the tranche 2 flood relief schemes. I think there are 50 schemes nationally. Given the fact it takes ten or 11 year…