Does the Leas-Cheann Comhairle think the Deputy's behaviour is fair?

It is doubtful whether Sinn Féin has even done any meaningful research on the potential longer term impacts of the Bill, which I am happy to put on the record as they go to the heart of our planning system. Let us look first at what the Bill sets out to do. Specifically, it proposes to amend section 28 of the Planning and Development Act. Section 28 empowers the Minister with responsibility for housing to issue guidelines to planning authorities in respect of any of their planning functions, to which planning autho…

I am grateful for the opportunity to address the House on what is the biggest budget in the history of the State, with an increase eight times bigger than that in last year's budget. The Government strategy in this budget is to protect those sectors which are vulnerable but viable to ensure we have the capacity, once this pandemic subsides, to absorb the demand in key sectors. With that in mind, it is very important we stand behind our local authorities and that we have achieved a rates waiver extension up to Decem…

I thank the Leas-Chathaoirleach and I thank both Senators Casey and Crowe for this Commencement debate. I know that both Senators have considerable experience in the hospitality sector. I can leave them in no doubt that I am very acutely aware of the pressures that are faced by the hospitality sector. In my town of Mullingar, I have seen what staff and businesses have endured over the past six months due to the very uncertain path of this virus. It is very sad to see businesses which have made such an effort to mak…

I absolutely accept the points being made but I am very clear about the rates waiver. If a business was closed it was eligible for the waiver. Those businesses that were partially closed were also allowed to apply for it and did so successfully. The Senators are aware that very few businesses were precluded from the scheme. It is very important as we go forward. I see in my town of Mullingar that the Greville Arms Hotel has closed its doors. It is an institution in Mullingar. As I walk the streets I see the busines…

Just to clarify, I am very clear that I am not treating the hospitality sector or the tourism sector with contempt. I am not aware of the grants that businesses are precluded from getting if they are closed. The temporary wage subsidy scheme can be received as can the restart plus grant. They can also get the rates waiver if they were open or partially open. They are not excluded from getting the rates waiver. I want to be very clear that the Government is supporting the hospitality sector and it will not be found …

I thank Senator McGahon for raising this important issue. It has been a collective effort across the system that has enabled schools to reopen at the start of the school year. I acknowledge the leadership shown by principals, deputy principals and management of schools and the degree to which teachers have prepared for and adapted their practice. In addition, I acknowledge the efforts of the wider school community in supporting the reopening of schools, including those of special needs assistants, secretaries, care…

I thank the Senator for his comments. He is correct that the school authorities, teachers, pupils and all of the staff have done great work in the context of Covid-19 and getting 1 million pupils back into school. It is a great achievement. As the Senator said, we are in an evolving situation and we have to continue to issue guidance.

I thank the Senator for her kind comments. In respect of difficulties in filling teaching positions, the teacher supply steering group was established in March 2018 and the group is chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Skills. The steering group leads on the identification of issues, the development of a programme of actions on teacher supply and oversees its implementation. An implementation group supports the work of the steering group. The group is also supported in its work by a n…

I thank the Senator for her concern and for raising this important issue. I will bring back her concerns to the Minister for Education and Skills and will ask her to circulate the briefing material in terms of the bases that are already in place and the concerns the Senator has raised in her particular area.

I ask Deputy Gould to reflect on his political history because my party did not bail out the banks. He should get his facts right before commencing this debate. I thank the Deputies for giving me the opportunity to speak on the importance of local authority funding and on the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on local authorities, and in particular their finances. The challenges are common across the local government sector, notwithstanding the differences between urban and rural authorities in scale and sources of fundin…

Having been a county councillor for almost two terms, I am acutely aware of the challenges local authorities face. Perhaps the Deputies did not hear me correctly. I said we would engage intensively with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in the days leading to next week's budget. We are very clear about the serious circumstances that have befallen our society and the local authority sector and we are working hard to try to alleviate those matters. That is why we allocated €600 million for a rates waive…

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue we face in society. The Government is absolutely focused on ensuring affordable, quality housing solutions are available to everyone in society and this is reflected in the Programme for Government: Our Shared Future. The programme commits to putting affordability at the heart of the housing system through the progression of State-backed affordable housing. This is a key priority of the Minister and since taking office, he has reviewed the situation on the gr…

I will ensure the issue of new build viability is examined more, including the provision of serviced sites for local authorities in towns and villages. I thank the Deputy for taking the time to table the issue, which affects so many people in our society and country. To reiterate, I assure him of the firm commitment in the programme for Government on affordable housing. I can confirm that housing and its affordability for local populations will be kept under review. The Minister, Deputy O'Brien, has confirmed to th…

I thank the Deputy for her question. The programme for Government commits to the State playing a greater part in directly providing affordable and social homes with a focus on middle income earners and developing sustainable mixed tenure communities. These principles will guide our housing policy and the work of the Land Development Agency, LDA, in assembling strategic sites in urban areas and ensuring the sustainable development of social and affordable homes for rent and purchase. This will include ensuring the p…

I thank the Deputy. It is clear that the Land Development Agency wants to deliver public housing on public lands. The make-up of that is clearly directed and includes affordable housing, cost rental and social homes. Actions speak louder than words. Planning permission has been granted for lands at Shanganagh, the application for which was submitted by the Land Development Agency, in tandem with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. That development will comprise 597 homes, 34% of which will be social housing, 54%…

The Land Development Agency will play a key role. The Deputy mentioned O'Devaney Gardens in Dublin. The project has been approved under the second serviced sites fund. That project and another in Killinarden were approved in August 2019. Those two projects will assist in the delivery of 465 affordable homes, with 165 in O'Devaney Gardens and 300 in Killinarden. The Department is constantly working with local authorities to progress projects like those, as it should. The key thing is that when the State is in posses…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 34 and 67 together. I thank Deputy Ó Cuív for the question. The programme for Government commits to maintaining the right of social housing tenants to purchase their own homes with some changes to eligibility. The current tenant incremental purchase scheme 2016 is open to eligible tenants, including joint tenants, of local authority houses that are available for sale under the scheme. To be eligible, tenants must meet certain criteria, including having a minimum reckonable income of…

I thank each of the Deputies for their questions. In line with the programme for Government, the review which had been commenced has to be refined, because of the agreement that was made regarding the three issues I alluded to in the programme for Government. We have to be very careful as Deputies when we are talking about cash buyers buying local authority housing. We have to be very careful about the rules we set. They have a knock-on effect on every applicant throughout the country. While there are very genuine …

Yes, it is ready and present. To be clear, the review had been completed and has to be revised to take into account what was agreed by the three parties and unanimously adopted by their membership. That will happen shortly. I cannot give an exact timeframe for that because I do not know. That is the honest answer.