Housing was a real test for this Government and almost three years from the general election, it has failed and failed spectacularly. Its inability and continued failures are so bad that they are undermining our health and education systems and are undermining our businesses, while pushing another generation to emigrate. Affordability has gone through the roof. Today a three-bedroom house in Edgeworthstown will set someone back €1,500 a month. That is in Longford, a county that did not qualify for an affordable hou…

We have a number of opportunities here, which could not be any clearer. We have an opportunity to guarantee that we as legislators do all in our power to ensure that the cervical cancer scandal is never repeated; to introduce and provide true accountability and real transparency; and to give the 750,000 women who will have smear tests this year confidence that their needs, concerns and, in some cases, fears, have been addressed and that at no point in the future will there be another scandal. It is not only the wom…

Today, I have again been speaking to residents from The Oaks in County Westmeath and I commend their perseverance, doggedness and determination to see this through. In 2010, the 32 homes had their insurance cancelled due to identified fire and construction defects. A recent minor but problematic flood damaged walls, floors and furniture and none of it was insured. I am told that The Oaks was inspected by the local authority and two notices were served on the developer, followed by a court case in 2010. The judge ru…

Will the Minister outline to the House the interaction between the Naval Service and the Air Corps on the new CASA aeroplanes due to be delivered to the Irish Defence Forces next year?

The Minister might be aware that the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence recently visited the Air Corps in Baldonnel. I extend my sincere thanks to Brigadier General Rory O'Connor, his staff and Air Corps members for hosting the committee, for the briefings and engagement and for taking the time to speak with us and share their views and ambitions for the future of the Air Corps. It was outlined to us that the new aeroplanes due to be delivered next year will have the capability to see sub-surface to a d…

Given the change in technology outlined by the Minister in the capability of these aeroplanes, is he open to or has he had any discussions on the potential for a co-location site for the Naval Service and Air Corps? The changing capabilities in both areas could provide potential benefits to the State in terms of policing, maritime security, the security of cables, as we have discussed repeatedly in the Chamber, and the importation of contraband, which we all want to see brought to an end. Has the Minister had those…

Will the Minister outline the measures he and his Department are implementing, or intend to implement, to stem the exodus of doctors from the Defence Forces, the current vacancy rate in that section and the extent of the impact on Defence Forces operations?

Listening to what the Minister said and reading what has been reported, I have the impression that there are two very different experiences of this issue. What has been reported is deeply concerning and would reflect the wider retention of experienced personnel in the Defence Forces. To follow up on what the Minister said, the established number of medical officers is 28. He said 22 officers are currently in place. How many of those 22 officers are available in the here and now? This includes those on any form of a…

I genuinely believe the Minister read out the figures as they have been presented to him. There is no question about that. At the monthly meeting this afternoon, to which he referred at a meeting of the joint committee, I respectfully suggest that he clarify whether four doctors left in the six weeks in the run-up to the beginning of November. What is the current financial outlay on the use of locums? This information will enable us to get to the bottom of this because the figures in the public domain are vastly di…

Following the publication of the Commission on the Defence Forces report and the subsequent publication of the Government’s high-level implementation plan, what is the timeline for the delivery of a military air doctrine?

I thank the Minister. Initially I noted that the Questions Office had flagged to me that the Department was not too keen on answering this question, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I thank the office of the Ceann Comhairle for not disallowing this question and for allowing us to have this conversation which is purely policy-based. I have heard of the Defence Forces Capstone Doctrine and of the White Paper but I have not heard about that specific stand-alone policy around military air doctrine. This is a declaration of the…

I fully accept that this may not have been a specific recommendation of the Commission on the Defence Forces. This, however, should have been the perfect opportunity for the development of such a doctrine. Without that necessary framework being in place, my concern is that we are not looking in the exact areas that the Air Corps need to be and wants to be looking. No matter which way one looks at this State, we may be 30% land and 70% water, but we are 100% air, and that is why a doctrine such as this is of such im…

I was somewhat taken aback when the issue of parity of healthcare was raised with me again. I had understood that there was a commitment given about a year and a half ago that this issue would be resolved, hence the reason I am perplexed that it is still ongoing. Can the Minister confirm what outstanding issues there are, if any, what action he intends to take to address those outstanding issues and the timeline for same?

Not to be pointing at the calendar, but the Government has been in place for over half the length of its potential term and members of the Defence Forces are hearing this is something the Government might get around to at some point in the near future. Will the Minister come back to the House or the committee with an updated list of what the proposals were, what action was taken in relation to each of them and which are outstanding? I suspect what is happening here is a reflection of the conversation we had earlier…

The Minister is correct to name PDFORRA as one of the driving forces of cross-Border healthcare but we need to see an end date at which members do not need to cross the Border to get the healthcare they need and deserve in a timely fashion and can go back to full recovery where possible. I do not believe I used the word "misinformation". If I did, it was not my intention. I meant a lack of clarity and a vacuum. It is a specific timeline and specific challenges and events in this area need to be addressed. That is w…

It appears that last week's Supreme Court judgment on the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, was a shock not only to the Government but also to the Taoiseach's communications officials. Throughout the CETA debate, Government parties consistently sought to reduce the discussion to one in which one was either for trade or against it. The reality, of course, is that no one in this Chamber is opposed to trade that incorporates and protects environmental rights and the rights of workers. Investm…

If the Taoiseach is so confident, he should hold a referendum.

The Government's national implementation plan for the SDGs contains important principles and objectives shared with countries across the globe. The core commitment of Agenda 2030 is a pledge to leave no one behind. A focus is placed on ensuring the needs of the most vulnerable are met and quality and accessible services are to be enhanced. The Taoiseach has outlined the 51 actions involving 119 individual measures, but Ministers must deliver on outstanding Government commitments upon which these goals are built. An…

In the same week that the high-level action plan was published by Government, it was reported that female members made almost as many sexual allegations in the previous 12 months as they had in the previous decade. Yet, the Minister was told in June 2021 there was just one such allegation to that point. How can the Women of Honour group and others have confidence that the review group that was set up after the Sinn Féin motion calling for a full statutory inquiry will effect the necessary change when such contradic…

Does the Taoiseach intend to publish a progress report before he leaves office?