There-----

You are asking the Minister of State.

And then they leave.

Organised crime causes heartache and misery for communities. I stand full square in my support for them and the gardaí who stand up to these criminals every day of the week. We have to get to grips with the scourge of organised crime. Everything possible must be done to tackle all the causes so we can grasp it at the root because communities need protection. Vulnerable people need to be protected and the Garda needs to be resourced. I am extremely proud to be the Sinn Féin spokesperson for addiction, recovery and w…

I commend the Social Democrats, especially Deputy Cian O'Callaghan. Deputy Gannon was just talking about solutions and this is a straightforward solution. The Government recognises a vacant property tax is a tool that can be used to get properties back in circulation. The big difference is the Government has gone for a 0.3% tax, whereas the motion before us calls for 10%. That is not an extreme rate, because in France there is a vacant property tax that starts at 10% and rises to 15% of the annual rental income of …

What about affordable housing?

I have been contacted by a lady who has three children and is five months pregnant. She is being evicted from emergency accommodation on 5 May. The Minister might ask why this is happening. It is happening because this lady is earning too much over Cork County Council's income threshold for social housing. This is unbelievable stuff. I will ask the Minister a straight question. Is it this Government's policy to remove or refuse people from emergency accommodation when they have nowhere else to go because they are e…

I am talking about the policy.

Cork County Council-----

We all accept the Government's targets for affordable housing have been too low. Yet, yesterday's announcement of the housing statistics highlights that even with these very low figures the Government still cannot hit its targets. Affordable housing represents the only opportunity for many families to ever be able to own their own home. Yet the Government still cannot give those people the opportunity to buy a home. There were 4,000 affordable homes promised and just over 1,700 were delivered. How can the Minister …

People must go through the AHBs so it is no good.

Build homes is what we will do.

The Minister should answer the question.

The Tánaiste spoke to the local newspaper in Cork today about the eviction ban. Was he offering advice to the 500 households that are facing eviction next week? No, he was attacking Sinn Féin for making a political issue out of the ending of the eviction ban and the housing crisis. I can tell the Minister of State that I am not playing politics. I know of a single mother who does not know where her child will be going to school after Easter because she does not know where she will be living. I know of a family who …

Will the Minister indicate when a decision was taken to reduce school hall sizes in new school buildings, the reason this decision was taken and if she is satisfied that current provision for multi-purpose rooms is satisfactory for the whole school community?

I heard what the Minister said. I am on the board of management of Gaelscoil Pheig Sayers in Fearann Phiarais on the north side of Cork city. A new school is being built. We have been waiting for a school for 27 or 28 years. This Gaelscoil in the heart of the north side of Cork is getting a 195 sq. m room. It is not a PE hall; it is too small. A hall of this size will not be big enough to hold assemblies or permit proper PE or indoor sport. This comes at a time when we are trying to encourage more children to take …

While we need outdoor facilities, children could not be outdoors for the past three months with the rain and the cold. Outdoor facilities are not a real option in the winter months in Ireland. School assemblies cannot be held in these school halls because they are too small and they cannot accommodate school plays at the end the year or host indoor tournaments. I have been involved in coaching hurling, football and Gaelic football all my life. The Minister is saying that a school hall for eight classrooms and 16 cl…

What did it do for-----

An elderly lady contacted me. She has stage 4 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD, and is on constant oxygen. She is going to be evicted in April as a consequence of a decision the Government has taken. The Taoiseach is a doctor. Can he imagine the devastating effects this stress and worry are having on this lady, who needs a walker to get around, is on oxygen and is going to be homeless in April? Where is the compassion of the Taoiseach and his Government for this lady and many others? I am imploring him n…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the legislation. It is really disappointing that once again we are discussing financial issues without any real plan to give people certainty regarding their electricity bills. There was a bad cold snap in March and this caused a lot of fear and anxiety for many people. A cap on energy prices would have given them certainty about their next bill. It is vital to note that the TBESS is not running as it should. My colleagues, Deputies Doherty and Farrell, outlined earlier the mis…