They want houses. Let us talk about housing. The document I have in my possession was issued this morning. It has not been brought up in the Dáil yet, and I wonder why. It indicates that commencements of new houses in quarter 1 of this year are up 63% on quarter 1 of last year.

The provision of housing is rising in all parts of our country. Government investment in housing is rising in all parts of our country. Decisions we took in Cabinet yesterday to spend more than €300 million of taxpayers' money will help small developers and the local authority in Sligo to build more homes. The investment in the first home scheme will benefit young people in Sligo. The development waiver will benefit young people in Sligo. The technological university will benefit more people in Sligo. The 10,000 jo…

I thank Deputy Cullinane for raising this matter and bringing Liam's case to my attention. Deputy Healy-Rae also wrote to me on this issue today about Liam. I thank both Deputies for highlighting the case. I have contacted the office of the Minister for Health to seek a direct update for the Deputy. As the Deputy will be aware it is not within my gift to make commitments around clinical appointments on the floor of the Dáil but it is right and proper that the Deputy raised it with me and it is right and proper that…

I thank Deputy Kelly for raising this issue. I do want to see a step change in how we care for older people. The Commission on Care for Older People the Government has set up is a really important step in that. I thank the Deputy for raising this specific issue regarding Nenagh and the point he makes about the unintended consequences if older people are not able to access a community facility - where else do they end up? - and the impact this can have on the health service. There is a logic in the point the Deputy …

I certainly hope we intend to respond to the report. I will familiarise myself with the points the Deputy made, which she has raised before but which have just come to my attention here. I will certainly familiarise myself with that. I would point to some steps we have taken. As the Deputy has acknowledged, having a directly elected mayor in Limerick is a not insignificant step, which the Deputy has welcomed. We did offer that to other parts of the country too. That is an important election and an important example…

It is not for me to tell any other sovereign parliament or congress how they should spend their taxpayers' money. The position of the Irish Government is crystal clear on the need for an immediate cessation of violence in the Middle East. Ireland has been one of the first countries to call for a ceasefire. At a European level we are pursuing the association agreement. I also raised this with President von der Leyen and at the European Council last week. The Tánaiste is in the region this week. We continue to articu…

I thank Deputy Fitzpatrick for raising this issue. The whole issue of energy poverty is one we must take seriously. The energy credits are being paid right now in this billing cycle. In fairness to my colleague the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, we have made a number of improvements and expansions to the fuel allowance scheme, and I am aware the Deputy would have been supportive of that. I am sure the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, would be eager to do more in that space. I will certainly ask the Minister to come back to…

The figures I gave the Deputy last week are correct. Of course, they can change but, roughly speaking, on a daily basis, around 15 people from Ukraine seek access to State accommodation and, roughly speaking, around 45 leave State accommodation. That is roughly the ratio. That obviously averages out over the course of a week. I am very supportive of the work of the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, and the work this country is doing regarding supporting people from Ukraine but I do obviously believe engagement is very imp…

I thank Deputy Pringle for bringing this issue to my attention. I know the huge stress and strain this issue has caused so many families in the Deputy's county and others. I will look specifically into the information the Deputy brought to my attention and engage with the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, who will revert to the Deputy.

As the Deputy suggests, I always want to differentiate between RTÉ and RTÉ staff when we discuss the issue because what happened in RTÉ let the public down and caused a real crisis of confidence in the organisation. The staff of RTÉ have been put through the ringer. They have done nothing wrong and should be supported. All of us - RTÉ management, the governing authority and the Government - share a view regarding getting RTÉ back to where it needs to be. The Deputy is right to say that in late 2020, the Department …

I thank Deputy Tully for raising this issue. I know the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, was in Cavan-Monaghan recently meeting with public representatives, including, I am sure, Deputy Tully and a number of groups. I know she is looking into respite provision in Cavan-Monaghan. I will certainly bring the Deputy's proposal around Carrickmacross and the ability to be able to do more in Steadfast House such as an extra week or month to the Minister of State's attention.

I am exploring this issue. I get to the same point as the Deputy but from a slightly different perspective. If the view of society is that people should not be able to turn up masked outside people's homes - anybody's home - in this country, we need to know a very simple answer as legislators. Is that legal now? If it is, let us fix it and change the law. If it is not legal, why is it not being stopped? I have asked the Minister for Justice to come back to me on that.

I certainly acknowledge their suffering and I think of them, the 50 people who died and the 23 bodies that were never recovered. I received correspondence yesterday about this matter. I have it here in my hand and want to give that due consideration. My understanding, and it is an initial understanding because I need to be properly briefed on this, is that the Attorney General was asked to look into some matters pertaining to this. I certainly intend to talk to the Attorney General about the matter and am happy to …

First, and more broadly, this whole issue of dual diagnosis is an area where there is a need for real progress. The Deputy is right that people are not just a diagnosis or a number of diagnoses; they are people. We had a brief discussion about this at the Cabinet committee on disability last week and I will be following up on that. More specifically with regard to Seán, I am, of course, eager to use my offices to assist. If the Deputy could correspond with me directly, I will talk to her about this and come back to…

We briefly discussed this matter last week in the Dáil and I committed to coming back to the Deputy on it. If my office has not done so, we will come back to him very shortly on it. The Government has shown huge support to An Post and the post office network. We have taken every opportunity to put new services into the post office, reflecting the changing world we live in and trying to support the sustainability of the post office. That is the position of the Government. Individual post offices are a matter for An …

I thank the Deputy for writing to me on this matter this morning, and I thank Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. As I said, I have asked the Minister for Health to specifically seek an update on Liam's situation from the health service and I will come back to the Deputy via the Minister for Health. We will also follow up specifically in regard to the night nursing hours. I thank the Deputy for raising this. It must be a very distressing situation.

I am very proud of the gambling legislation that the Government is bringing forward. Gambling has had a significantly corrosive impact on many families and communities that are impacted by it. I also do not want the Bill to have unintended consequences, whether for charities or areas like the horse racing industry. The Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, have brought forward a number of amendments to try to address the issues for charities. We will be happy to debate and consider all…

It is a very constructive suggestion from Deputy Ó Cuív and I thank him for it. We have to look at that while, as the Deputy rightly suggests, we maintain standards as well. Each of the processes is important, such as fitness and vetting, and no one is disputing any of that. However, is there a more efficient way of moving through this, particularly at a time when we need more gardaí? There are quite a lot of people expressing an interest in becoming a garda and I know my colleague, the Minister for Justice, is wor…

I do agree.

I do not have note in front of me but I will take it up with the Minister for Health. We are increasing GP training places and I accept there is more we need to do. I will come back to the Deputy on it.