I believe we will exceed the target for this year. I accept that the targets need to significantly increase. There is a political consensus in relation to that. There is a body of work under way for quite a period of time and, for clarity, the revised targets will be published this year. That is the position. I hope that the draft national planning framework, which I believe is due to be published next month, will provide an opportunity during the summer months for consultation and engagement, with revised targets …

There are a hell of a lot of people in this country who still want their son or daughter to be able to buy a home. Social homes matter and affordable homes matter, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with the builder building private homes as well. We need that mix and that composition.

I thank Deputy Canney for raising this issue today on behalf of his constituents. I passionately believe in renewable energy. I believe it is absolutely essential to get to where we need to get to in terms of our own energy independence. We are living through a climate emergency. I know we share that view. The question the Deputy raised is about how we do it and how we try to bring communities with us as we address that. Offshore wind in particular is our largest source of renewable electricity in Ireland. It accou…

I thank the Deputy. Obviously, people and communities absolutely matter. That is why it is important to say on the record that there will be an opportunity, before the draft guidelines are finalised, for further input and consultation, including with CEPA. I have no difficulty at all in meeting with CEPA. I just have to arrange it in my diary. I am very happy to make sure that happens, along with engagement with relevant line Ministers as well. We all need to be honest about this, which we are. People and communiti…

The Deputy is giving me awful flashbacks to sleepless nights. If I do not get one tonight, I will know he has jinxed me. I thank him very much for raising this important issue. He does not need to tell me or anyone in this Government about listening to people. His language suggested that he listens and the rest of us do not. That is unfair to people who listen to communities all of the time. I am listening to the communities here today. I am also being honest with them, as I am sure the Deputy is as well. Renewable…

Every time ten people used electricity in Ireland last year, almost four out of ten times that electricity was generated from, in general, onshore wind. This is playing a major part in all of our constituents' and citizens' lives, particularly when they boil the kettle, turn on the light, open the fridge or turn on the television. Ireland is very dependent on this form of energy. Let us be honest about this; we do not want the lights to go out. We need to have an energy supply. Almost 40% of the electricity generat…

I will begin with Deputy Wynne's question. We are very happy and eager to have statements in this House in respect of UHL. When I last responded on this issue, I suggested the opportune time may be when the Frank Clarke report is received by the Minister this month, but I am in the hands of the Business Committee on this. The Government is happy to allow time. I just believe it would be useful to have the output of the report but it is a matter for the Business Committee to consider, perhaps. Deputy Mattie McGrath …

I thank the Chair. We are very much looking forward to debating it because of the position held by those Deputies who believe we can go it alone in a global migration crisis. It is a legitimate position for them to hold; it is just wrong. I look forward to debating it with the Deputies and explaining to them why we believe operating at EU level makes sense. When it comes to migration, accommodation is important. So, too, is the Government considering the levers at its disposal to move from an emergency response to …

I would appreciate the Deputy not laughing at me because I raise this on behalf of the people of Ireland very regularly, including at every single engagement I have with the President of the Commission and EU leaders at the European Council and in every possible forum. Our position is that the human rights clauses in the trade agreement are not in it just to expand the text and should mean something. I am frustrated with the European position, which is a position for member states to take. I continue to work with o…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. The first thing is that I did say in this House last week that Liam had a consultation in April. That was information given to me by the Department of Health. I want to clarify that for his mum. My understanding is that there was a review of Liam's case as per his complex care pathway in early April following his attendance with his consultant in late March. I do want to clarify that information, which was wrongly given to me last week. My understanding is that Liam and his…

I thank Deputy Nash for raising this important matter. I am very eager to meet with that group. I am very happy to do so and I intend to do it in the month of June. Shona McManus introduced its members to me last week and the Deputy has rightly raised this issue on several occasions as well. I thank him for doing that. I am very eager that we invest more in Drogheda. We have a good track record, I think, of working together on a number of issues, including expanding Drogheda Institute of Further Education and the n…

I thank Deputy Cairns for raising this issue and for her Private Members' motion, which the Government will support tomorrow. I thank her for putting the motion down. I will have to come back to the Deputy with an answer from the Minister for Health regarding the legislation. I will get that for her directly. We are trying to grow the dental workforce and invest more in dentistry services. As of yesterday there are 3,661 dentists on the Dental Council register. That is an increase of 189 since March 2023. It is the…

I know you are but the direct answer is that we have to grow the number of dentists in our country in the first instance. We are investing specifically more in regard to waiting lists in the public service, including a further €3.5 million this year. I will perhaps write to the Deputy. We will have an opportunity to outline our position on the motion tomorrow.

The Deputy is wrong there.

I do not believe that the only way to deliver houses is through the private market but I do believe that it is part of the way. I believe we need a mix. I believe we need private developers and builders, we need social and affordable housing and we need cost rental. I believe we need a whole variety. As regards when the report was due to be published, the Minister received it on 8 May. My understanding was the Minister was working up a response to the 83 recommendations and was due to bring a memorandum to Governme…

It is vital that this happens. We have an excellent veterinary school in UCD but we only have one in the country. We have a particular acuity in terms of access to veterinary services and to veterinarians, often in rural and regional Ireland. As the Deputy rightly says, three projects have been identified, including one in Mountbellew, one in Limerick and one in Kildalton. The Minister for agriculture and the Minister for further and higher education are working together on this. I will get the Deputy a specific ti…

I agree with the need to continue to support and grow Garda numbers and the need to invest more in rehab services. We are doing both, but there is also a third piece. We need to call out the fact that it has become socially acceptable in far too many communities and social groups to snort a line of coke while having a drink at the weekend. The people doing that, who do not have an addiction, are helping to fund and fuel misery in other people’s communities. It should not be acceptable.

I will be happy to engage with Professor Higgins directly. I will reach out to her to do just that. This country has made a huge amount of progress when it comes to cancer outcomes. I would not like anybody listening in, public or private, to think that is not the case. The public health service has had remarkable progress in relation to cancer outcomes, cancer survival rates and access to cancer drugs. Indeed, as recently as last week we saw a new drug come on stream that I hope will have very positive impacts. I …

I thank Deputy Duffy. Those figures seem right to me. We are obviously seeing a significant increase in supply and in commencements and also a significant increase in planning permissions. Some of the decisions we have taken as a Government, including waiving the development levies and the Uisce Éireann connection costs, have reduced the cost of building. We are seeing the impact from that while also continuing to put in place schemes that others would abolish, in order to help people to save a deposit and buy thei…

We have many affordable housing schemes-----