That was confidence and supply.

I find the Minister's responses funny.

I am relaxed.

I feel as though I am at born-again revival listening to Deputies from the Government parties talking about thousands of vacant and derelict properties. The official figure is more than 92,000. In Cork city and county - I thank Deputy O'Connor for raising the question - there are more than 9,000 vacant properties. The Minister indicated that he has been travelling throughout the State examining the vacancies and stated it is shocking. Did he just wake up this morning and realise that? When the Minister for Foreign …

I gave the then Minister, Deputy Coveney, the solutions five years ago.

Did the Tánaiste not read our Bill?

In a country with as much wealth as Ireland, no child should have to live in poverty. Social Justice Ireland found that there are 190,000 children living in households experiencing poverty. This is a shocking figure. It is a shame on our country that this is allowed to happen. These children are the real victims of the policies of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the past decade. The members of those Governments should be here to answer questions about these children and why they have to live in poverty. The Government…

We are supporting this Bill but we may bring amendments later on. A new Garda unit was set up in Cork city and as a result there was a 13% increase in drug seizures for sale and supply, as well as success in tackling knife crime and knife seizures. This is only the tip of the iceberg but it goes to show what can be accomplished when resources, like a sergeant and eight gardaí are put into an area. Unfortunately, this is only one good news story when we need many more. I am looking for those types of specialised uni…

I thank my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, for bringing forward this Bill. It shows once again that we in Sinn Féin are here to introduce positive solutions that will make a difference in delivering housing for individuals and families. The Government claims to know the impact of the housing crisis. If that is the case, why is it not doing everything in its power to deliver housing for people who are desperate for it? The Business Post reported that the Minister was extensively lobbied by developers and that is why this…

This week, it was announced that indoor summer camps for children could not go ahead. LEGO camps, drama camps and many others that children across the State were looking forward to have been cancelled. Following on from last week's announcement, first holy communions, confirmations and christenings were all cancelled. However, this legislation will allow children to go into restaurants and bars if their parents are fully vaccinated. This does not make sense to people and raises serious questions about understanding…

I have tabled two sets of amendments to the Bill that I strongly urge the Minister to consider. The current tax punishes people who cannot afford to pay. At the meeting of the housing committee last week, representatives of the Revenue Commissioners confirmed that 43,000 people deferred their local property tax payments last year because they could not afford to pay them. This means single people with an income of €15,000 or a couple with income of €25,000. This deferral means that every year those people cannot pa…

Rents in Cork city, one of the Minister's rent pressure zones, rose by 6.3% in the last 12 months despite a ban on rent increases being in effect for five months during that time. This figure proves that rent pressure zones do not work and have never worked. The average rent in Cork city is €1,483 per month. In 2020, people on the minimum wage took home an average of €363 a week. How are people supposed to live like that? How can the Minister sit by, watch people living on such low incomes and then say it is okay f…

I am asking this question on behalf of Deputy Ó Laoghaire. Will the Minster provide an update on the progress of the provision of a permanent building for the Cork Educate Together Secondary School, ETSS?

I thank the Minister for her reply. Cork Educate Together Secondary School was founded in 2016. This situation has been ongoing for five years now. In September, the children who started secondary school in the school's first year will be sitting their leaving certificate examinations. Overall, there are 360 students, or approximately 60 students in each year. However, approximately 200 children apply to go to the school every year. There is a great need for this school to be delivered as quickly as possible. The d…

I appreciate what the Minister is saying and that there has been a concerted effort to try to obtain planning permission and get the school built. We have to consider what the children are going through. Only half a class can do art, high-tech teaching or science at any one time. There are no physical education, PE, facilities in the school, so the students are being bussed to other facilities to do their PE. A great deal of time is lost from education because of the time spent travelling on buses. I appreciate tha…

I hope the Taoiseach discussed the prospects of Irish unity at the recent European Council meeting. Even Fine Gael has finally recognised that Irish unity needs to be on the agenda. At its recent Ard-Fheis, the Tánaiste announced his support for a united Ireland. We are keen to help kick-start the conversation on Irish unity. Recently in Cork, the rebel county, a clear message was sent when the R&H Hall building was lit up to let everyone know Cork was ready to have such a conversation. This must be a conversation …

I welcome the legislation. Yesterday, less than a week before the hospitality sector was due to open, the Government announced that reopening indoor dining would be postponed for an unknown period and that it would let people know in the next couple of weeks when it will reopen. Does the Minister realise that people's livelihoods are at stake, including those of families? I have spoken to people today whose mental, financial and emotional health are in ruins as a result of the Government's decision. We are 15 month…

As has been said by others, this is very important legislation. It is something that was badly needed and which people have been waiting on for years. I wish to respond to some of the points made by the Minister earlier and yesterday about morale and where we are now with the Defence Forces. Last week, I spoke to a member of the Defence Forces who was just back from the Lebanon. He is a man with a young family and he has been asked to go back out. He was away seven months, between his deployment and the Covid-19 re…

I support these amendments. They go to the heart of the issue. I acknowledge that the Minister has moved some way in respect of 100% public homes on public land but that is not guaranteed. It is as if he is taking baby steps forward. We, and particularly my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, have been putting forward solutions to tackle the housing crisis. In this Bill, it appears that the Minister has taken a small amount of Deputy Ó Broin's proposals on board but we invite the Minister to look at our strategy because, ul…

I will make two points. I find it amazing that I attended housing meetings where I and my colleague, Deputy Ó Broin, were criticised for the number of amendments we tabled because we tried to change this Bill fundamentally to deliver-----