I do not know if the Taoiseach heard the voices of the thousands of students who last Thursday took part in a walk-out protest against the Government's failure to tackle the student accommodation crisis. I do not know if he heard their experiences of the impossibility of finding any accommodation, the real pressure of this cost-of-living crisis, impossible and crazy commutes for so many students and a feeling they are not getting the full educational experience they are entitled to. Last Thursday, students stood up not just for themselves but for the future of education in Ireland. They walked out to stand up, and fair play to them. On their behalf, I ask the Taoiseach when the Government will respond to this crisis, what it proposes to do and how it will invest in college accommodation, in particular, college-owned beds. The plans are there and what has been lacking so far have been the resources and political will.
Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
We have taken significant measures to help students in the budget, not least the €1,000 reduction in fees this year and a further €500 reduction in the next academic year. There is also the renter's credit that parents who pay rent for students will be in a position to avail of. Those are significant measures. There is also the additional payment under the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, grant, which is very helpful in the current inflationary cycle we find ourselves in.
As for student accommodation, it is symptomatic of the wider housing issue in that it is about viability. Many colleges and developers, as they get together with land, are saying it is not viable to build apartments and rent them to students at affordable rates, so the State is being asked to enter that scene also.
Go raibh maith agat.
The State is doing so and discussions are under way between the Department, representing the Government, and universities in respect of how to get more student accommodation in place.
I raise the terrible situation for women and girls in Iran. For nearly five weeks now, the Iranian regime has been using particularly brutal violence against its own citizens following the brutal killing of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on 16 September by the so-called morality police. We have seen the start of a new episode in a long and dark chapter of Iran's history. We have seen hundreds of Iranian girls and women beaten, arrested, tortured and killed in the protests that have ensued since. Some of these girls have been as young as 14 or 15 years of age. I spoke at a vigil for Mahsa Amini in Trinity College two weeks ago. It was organised by Iranian students here who were afraid to show their own identity and spoke while masked because of their fear of being revealed to the Iranian regime. I also heard this week from a group of Irish-Iranian citizens who came here years ago in pursuit of a better life. These are educated, skilled professionals who have contributed significantly and are extremely grateful for the opportunity Ireland has given them. They have asked us to show our support for those standing up against the brutality-----
Go raibh maith agat.
-----of the Iranian regime. I ask the Taoiseach to cut diplomatic ties with Iran, expel the Iranian ambassador-----
Thank you. The Taoiseach to respond.
-----and take significant action internationally against the Iranian regime.
I agree with Deputy's raising of this very serious issue. I salute her for doing so as it is important this House reflects not just the deep concern but the outrage at what is happening to young women in Iran, particularly the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini. Her death was quite shocking and cannot be justified in any shape or form. There has been a very natural and strong response from the Iranian people and Iranian women. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, raised our concerns on the matter directly with the Iranian foreign minister on 21 September and again on 6 October. He sought an independent investigation and again called on Iran to adhere to its international obligations, especially the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
At the Foreign Affairs Council yesterday, ministers agreed to add 11 individuals and four entities to the list of those subject to restrictive measures in the context of-----
We are over time.
-----resisting Iran's human rights-sanctioned regime. I do not believe cutting diplomatic relations is the most effective way of dealing with this issue right now.
I find it appropriate that the Taoiseach is joined by the Minister for Health, the Minister for Justice and the Minister with responsibility for local government. Last night's "RTÉ Investigates" programme highlighted a plethora of complex issues related to O'Connell Street. While the matter has already been raised, does the Taoiseach not believe a good starting point would be to establish a task force to address the issues raised? Each of the Ministers has a responsibility. It relates to health because of the level of drug addiction and complex needs there. The Minister for Justice said she was going to clean up the streets but that language will not be helpful. It relates to local government because the absence of local government has led to a considerable breakdown and the dereliction we see on O'Connell Street. Could we have a task force with all the Ministers taking responsibility because we all have a responsibility for O'Connell Street?
I heard the Deputy this morning and the manner in which he dismissed his colleagues on Dublin City Council was beyond me.
That is not true.
He did. He said they had no power and they were next to useless. He did not use those words now but the impression I got from him was-----
I said it is an illusion of democracy.
Does the Deputy want the answer?
Yes. Apparently that is your view. You have a right to your view but we have to go back to Dublin City Council. I genuinely think so. To be fair, there are plans for O'Connell Street, which I mentioned earlier, in terms of the Moore Street area and so on.
Are you going to go back to Dublin City Council then?
The Taoiseach is encouraging the interaction. If we could speak through the Chair.
Through the Chair, I am just making the point that Dublin City Council has to be at the centre of O'Connell Street. There is no avoiding that. One of the easiest things to do is say "Let us have a Taoiseach's task force". A lot of people are saying we should have a Taoiseach's task force about this, that and the other. I take the Deputy's point but the Minister for Justice has already said a community partnership has already been established-----
I am moving on. The time is up.
-----involving all the various local groups and so on to try to move on. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has huge plans for rejuvenation but there are loads of objections.
There are lots of objections to the development of O'Connell Street.
The Taoiseach needs to get control.
Why do we not cut to the chase and say that?
We are way over time.
We keep on objecting to everything that moves-----
There is a responsibility to get control.
-----and then condemning dereliction.
Get control. Show some leadership.
Deputy Gannon has objected to it.
Thank you. I ask for Deputies' co-operation.
It is a bit hypocritical.
Is Deputy Gannon supporting the redevelopment of north O'Connell Street? He is not, so come on.
I will not complete the list of speakers today because I will not keep going over time. I ask for Deputies' co-operation. I call an Teachta Barry.
Friday week marks the tenth anniversary of the cruel and unnecessary death of Savita Halappanavar. I commend the organisers of the Savita anniversary march for health, equality and bodily autonomy, which will take place on Saturday, 29 October in Dublin. Initiated by ROSA, the socialist feminist organisation, and supported by the National Women's Council, the Union of Students in Ireland and Unite the Union, among others, this march has been organised for two key reasons. The first is in remembrance of Savita and to call for a permanent memorial to her to be established. The second is to highlight the need for further change in the law four years after repeal. Our National Maternity Hospital is being handed over to a Catholic organisation.
No, it is not.
Many maternity hospitals do not provide abortion services. Abortion pills are not provided by 90% of GP services. Hundreds of women are still being forced to travel abroad for abortion care every year and many of these are in cases of foetal anomaly. Pregnant people are still forced to endure a paternalistic three-day wait-----
I thank the Deputy.
-----before securing access to the abortion pill. When will the abortion review be complete and will the Taoiseach support the call for a permanent memorial to Savita in this State?
I appreciate the points the Deputy has made in respect of remembering Savita Halappanavar and of those taking part in the remembrance ceremony. He raises an important issue. As he knows, the Minister for Health has appointed Ms Marie O'Shea BL as the independent chair of the review of the legislation.
There is a requirement in the 2018 Act that the legislation would be reviewed. There are three strands to the review. One is the public consultation that closed on 1 April. Another is research on the experience of women who have accessed abortion care services, conducted by Dr. Catherine Conlon, which was published in July. The third is the research being carried out by the Manchester Metropolitan University, which seeks to capture the views and experiences of termination of pregnancy service providers. That will feed into an analysis of how the Act is working. The report is expected by the end of the year. The Minister and the Government will give that careful consideration. It is on track to be completed by the end of the year.
The Deputy's description of the new maternity hospital is not correct.
We all appreciate the importance of local government. My constituency, Kildare South, spans three local authority areas, which are Kildare, Laois and Offaly, with a total of 78 councillors. I hear on the ground that some councillors find it increasingly difficult to get release from their full-time jobs to attend crucial council meetings. Interestingly, it is not private sector employers that are causing this difficulty but public sector employers, particularly in the health and education sectors. I would be grateful if the Taoiseach's office could liaise with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to remind these agencies of the importance of local government and that these councillors should be facilitated. If they are not, we should consider legislation in that regard. I thank the Taoiseach.
What Deputy Berry said is music to my ears. I said this recently to the Committee on Gender Equality. I think employers have an obligation to facilitate people to participate in politics, particularly local politics. One of the big challenges facing all political parties will be that many people, if they get jobs in particular sectors, will see it as a career-limiting move even to indicate an interest in local politics. All of society needs to understand that democracy is fundamental to how we have operated for the last 100 years. Ireland has progressed dramatically. It is transformed between 1922 and 2022, with huge progress because of democracy. There is active participatory democracy in Parliament and in local government. I have said to employment bodies and others that they have an obligation to make sure that people are encouraged to go for election in local elections. I thank Deputy Berry for raising the issue. I agree with him. I will have to check this out. Public sector employers in particular should do this.
I have a representation on behalf of an applicant for a driving test in Clonmel. The response to the person's query states that the application has been reviewed, that the person applied on 3 September, requested a test centre in Clonmel, and the waiting list in Clonmel is currently 18 weeks. It states that, based on the estimator tool, the person replying expects the applicant to receive her invitation to book a test in the week commencing 9 January. This system has been made complicated. She applied and waited four months to be asked to apply again to this list. I have figures from a reply to a parliamentary question as follows: 450 customers were not eligible, 240 had dates, 590 customers had applications currently paused and 430 customers currently did not meet the eligibility criteria for a test. This has become so convoluted. People cannot just apply for their test and get a date. I know there is a delay. There is a shortage of testers in Clonmel. I know recruitment is underway. Why do all these systems have to be so complicated? People have to apply and then reapply four months later. We are supposed to be streamlining these issues but they have become more archaic and difficult. They have been slowed enormously.
I will talk to the Minister about reflecting on the Deputy's comments on the need for greater efficiency in how public services are administered. I do not have the specifics about driving test appointments in Clonmel but I will raise it with the Minister.
Earlier, I raised the issue of nursing homes closing. In his response, the Taoiseach mentioned the increase in home care. In that context, we see that care workers employed by private, not-for-profit companies are walking away from their employment because of low income, not having pay for their travel, not having sick pay and travel time not being counted in the number of hours worked. Those are just some of the poor working conditions that they endure. It is no wonder that they are leaving. The advisory group made a number of recommendations. One is for travel to be reimbursed. Another is that, crucially, when the HSE is inviting tenders for care work, it should insist on minimum wage being paid and on removing the ban on recruiting home care workers from non-EU countries. Will the Taoiseach commit to implementing these recommendations? I suggest that it is not just minimum wage that should be paid, but a living wage.
Is the Deputy referring to the strategic workforce advisory group on home carers?
Yes.
The Minister published the report on 15 October. It contains 16 key recommendations which will be progressed immediately via a dedicated implementation group. In 2021, some 20.4 million hours were provided, which is about 2.9 million more hours than in 2020. There was a 17% increase in one year between 2020 and 2021. That has created challenges. Some 14.2 million hours were delivered between this January and August, which is a further increase of 7% on 2021. That has created significant issues. As I said yesterday, the number of people now waiting for home supports has decreased, but I take the Deputy's point about making sure that we streamline in a positive way the terms and conditions under which people work in the private home care setting.
I wish to ask a question that has been recurring in the Dáil Chamber in the past few weeks. It relates to the transfer of Shannon Heritage to the local authorities in the mid-west, principally Clare County Council. I acknowledge that the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, has been forthcoming in engaging with us in the county about the matter. I went to meet the workers again last weekend. They find themselves caught in the middle. There is an interdepartmental working group and a local authority and a Shannon Airport group which will pass over to Clare County Council in due course. They find themselves in a state of limbo. The infrastructure in the folk park is deteriorating. I saw the historic main gate of the castle is now propped up with concrete blocks. It has been neglected and is not being looked after. The transfer needs to happen. We need a definitive answer about what will happen and when the interdepartmental group will conclude its work and give a recommendation to Government.
I accept the Deputy's points. They are well made. He has been advocating strongly for quite some time for this to be brought to a conclusion. I understand that officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage have liaised with Clare County Council regarding the potential for some support from the local government fund. Funding for the National Monuments Service's approved conservation works at Bunratty Castle could also be considered. Officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage will continue to engage with the interdepartmental working group and Clare County Council to support progress in transferring the remaining Shannon Heritage sites to Clare County Council. Some have come over but the Deputy is right about the castle. It is an issue of funding. I know we have to bring it to a conclusion. The transfer makes sense. I take the Deputy's point that the council wants to make sure that it is not caught short in the years to come in respect of this. I know the Minister is innovative and responsive at the best of times. One would hope he could find deep in the well some means to resolve this issue.
It is pouring rain outside, which means that the sea quality in Dún Laoghaire and Dublin Bay is unlikely to be good for anyone thinking of taking a dip, which many do since Covid. We never know what the sea quality is from beach to beach or area to area because the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, and the Minister of State, Deputy Malcolm Noonan, will not agree to year-round testing of water quality. The reason given in a parliamentary question was that it might result in beach closures, which is literally the point. It is like people not going to the doctor in case they are told that they are sick. People actually want to know if the water is okay or not. I cannot understand this response from the Department. The Ministers of State, Deputy Noonan, and my Dún Laoghaire colleague, Green Party Deputy Ossian Smyth, are at the Department. I know sea swimmers across Dublin are concerned. I know Deputy Bacik has engaged on this. We just want to know if the water is clean or not.
Has Deputy Bacik engaged in swimming or on the issue?
It is both. Is it clean or not clean? It is as simple as testing the water all year round so people know that they will get sick or not when they get in for an auld dip.
Our Department has made huge strides in working with SOS Dublin Bay on the monitoring issue. Separately, on days when there is severe rainfall, the general advice is not to swim for a few days afterwards. That is good advice. I spoke to Deputy Bacik this morning. We would be happy to provide a briefing to Deputies on progress that has been made. Significant progress has been made on monitoring water quality in Dublin Bay.
Last night, "Prime Time" exposed the grim reality facing the city centre, O'Connell Street, and the communities that live in and call the inner city their home. These communities are being forgotten and abandoned. O'Connell Street, Pearse Street and City Quay need protection from increasing street violence.
The local Garda has engaged comprehensively. In the past, we had the Mulvey report for the north inner city but the footprint for that report is very small. I ask the Government to commit to extending its scope beyond that small footprint by including the north and south inner city for the entire community. This is having a hugely negative impact. People are fearful of leaving their homes. That is not acceptable.
This issue has been raised by Deputies Shortall and Gannon earlier. It needs a multifaceted response. It is not just a policing issue. The dereliction on the street is important. The development around Moore Street and O'Connell Street is important - that we transform the infrastructure on the street - and I know the Deputy's party opposes that development. I believe, given all the discussions we have had on the matter, that if the development continues to be opposed, we will witness another ten years of dereliction with all that that brings. We have to deal with the drug trafficking, community amenities, dereliction and the need to modernise the streetscape of the city.
Increase Garda resources.
That is happening.
Stop objecting.
I welcome the many measures introduced in the budget to help people with the soaring cost of energy, namely, the electricity credit and the continuation of the reduced excise rate on petrol and diesel. The price of petrol and diesel is still hovering around €2 per litre depending on where you go. Those of us who live in Kerry go through many litres of petrol or diesel trying to get from A to B. Will the Government further examine assistance to motorists through a motor tax reduction, waiver or holiday? This is a particularly punitive charge for people who own older vehicles. Will that be re-examined? It was done during Covid-19 and could be done again because people are suffering at the pumps as a result of the prices.
I accept the point that there is huge pressure on motorists and people in general. All of these issues were examined in the context of the budget. The measures we took were designed to try to give people resources to deal with the energy costs. We have already subsidised petrol and diesel to a certain extent with the measures we took earlier in the year. However, we keep everything under constant review.
Community welfare officers are under severe pressure throughout the country with the roll-out of a huge increase in exceptional needs payments due to the energy crisis. Many citizens who would not otherwise have experience of the system now have to try to get assistance. In Donegal the system is stretched to the limit with sick leave. We now also have a case involving a full-time carer living in Bundoran who has been directed to Letterkenny for a local service. That is a distance of almost 75 km. There does not appear to have been any step up in support for the service in recognition of the increased demand created by the current crisis. Surely any Department would recognise that there would be an increase in demand and a need for extra staff. Will the Government ensure additional community welfare officers are provided to meet the increased demand for the service?
There has been an expansion of demand for the service. The recent enhanced communications around additional needs mean many more people are applying for and receiving assistance. That also reflects the general situation around energy pricing and inflation. Prior to that, the service had moved online for many people, many of whom now access payments online. I take the Deputy’s point that in some instances that is not always possible. I know the Minister for Social Protection is working on this to get the balance right between local access and facilitating people to apply as seamlessly as they can.
Several times over the past couple of months I have had to raise with the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health the issue of the pandemic bonus payment. It has still not been paid to many front-line healthcare workers. Many workers who work in nursing homes, some of the carers of whom we spoke earlier who are not HSE staff and staff in section 39 organisations that provide services to people with disabilities have still not been paid. We were told that there was a verification process in place and an organisation that will verify those payments. It is taking too long. Many of the section 39 organisations I spoke with can self-assess. They need to be given the power to do that and pay this bonus quickly. Will the Minister for Health agree to that to speed up this process and ensure Deputies do not have to continuously raise this issue? That we are still talking about it at the end of October when it was announced nine months ago is outrageous. Pay them what they are due and get on with it.
More than 124,000 people have received the bonus, which is welcome. However, I am not satisfied on two fronts. First, the Defence Forces, the fire brigade and prison nurses have yet to be paid. I have instructed the Department of Health to take that back from the HSE and expedite that payment in the coming weeks. Second, the HSE is nervous of making payments and overpayments to section 39 and private organisations. I am seeking for them to move to a self-assessment model where each of these organisations will itself calculate what it is owed. We would then make those payments but, critically, those payments would then be audited after the fact in order to speed this up. I have asked the HSE to come back to me with an accelerated timeline.
Tá sé an-tábhachtach go mbeadh an Garda ábalta teagmháil a dhéanamh le pobal na Gaelainne agus tá Coimisinéir an Gharda tar éis a rá go ndéanfadh an Garda feabhas ar chúrsaí. Bhí ceapacháin sáirsintí déanta ar fud na tíre roimh an samhradh agus tá panel ar fáil anois, ó thús na bliana, do sáirsintí a cheapadh, daoine le Gaelainn ina measc. Ach fós níl sergeant ceaptha i mBaile Bhuirne agus i gcomhair Ghaeltachta Mhúscraí, in ainneoin is go bhfuil daoine ar fáil. Tá an Garda tar éis a soiléiriú go bhfuil sé ag cur riachtanais eile os comhair phobail na Gaelainne. Is mithid do na gardaí bogadh ar aghaidh agus sáirsint nua a cheapadh. Cén fáth an moill leanúnach, go háirithe nuair atá daoine ar fáil? Cathain a dhéanfaidh an Garda de réir mar a deir Coimisinéir an Gharda go ndéanfaidh sé? Is é sin freastail ar phobal na Gaelainne.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an ábhar tábhachtach seo a ardú. Is trua liom nach bhfuil an post seo líonta fós. Níl a fhios agam cén fáth ach déanfaidh mé é sin a fhiosrú leis an Aire, leis an Garda agus le Coimisinéir an Gharda cad é an fhadhb atá anseo. Go ginearálta táimid ag tabhairt níos mó áiseanna don Gharda, go háirithe an polasaí atá ag an nGarda ná daoine a bhfuil cumas na Gaeilge acu, go mbeidh siadsan in ann seirbhísí a chur ar fáil sna Gaeltachtaí agus cúnamh a thabhairt dóibh le seirbhísí sna stáisiúin laistigh de na Gaeltachtaí. Déanfaidh mé fiosrúcháin chun eolas cruinn a fháil maidir leis an bpost faoi leith atá luaite ag an Teachta i gcomhthéacs Bhaile Bhuirne.
Windmill Therapeutic and Training Unit, a section 39 service, provides much-needed day services to 59 users across three sites in Wexford town. Windmill has requested immediate additional funds. This week I want to acknowledge that it has received a commitment of €75,000. However, this falls more than €200,000 short of the required funds. It wrote to all its service users through the board of management. The 59 families in question have been informed that Windmill is now in a staffing crisis. This has significant negative implications which will result in a reduction in the number of days on which it can provide a service. The service will have no option but to cease providing transport to service users. Windmill's staff and service users have asked me to ask the Taoiseach for a clear commitment that funds will be allocated from the special health fund that can be used for transport because this issue is not going away.
The €100 million fund, as the Deputy is aware, is being allocated to section 39 organisations and others, including nursing homes, specifically to address the issues the Deputy has just raised. It is for additional costs, for example, driving patients from home to clinical settings. I cannot comment on the individual organisation just yet. If Deputy Murphy sends me a note on it, I will ask the Department and the HSE to take a look. On the broader question of whether the €100 million fund be used for issues such as this, that is exactly what it is intended for.
In June, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, stated that local authorities could purchase housing assistance payment, HAP, properties where the tenants were under notice to quit. I subsequently asked Kerry County Council to use this measure for a number of constituents who had received such notices.
Some of these families went into hostel accommodation, having to throw out children’s toys and family memorabilia because there was no other solution. The Taoiseach said this morning that he has made clear to local authorities that the funding is there. However, as of today, officials in Kerry County Council are telling me that they have not received any directive and there is no chance that they will be able to buy any of those properties prior to Christmas. I am asking the Taoiseach to try to sort that out and get a directive out to them.
That is not accurate from what the Minister has said to me. The officials in Kerry County Council know they can buy houses where those houses are being sold with rental accommodation scheme, RAS, or HAP tenants in them.
They await a directive and have not got one.
No. That is a cop-out. I am not saying that is what they are saying. The Deputy put that forward. The facility is there. There needs to be proper engagement between the council and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. In fairness-----
Will the Taoiseach ensure that a directive goes out to them?
If other councils are doing it, it stands to reason that every council can do it. They have discretion.
We are out of time now because there was not co-operation at the beginning. Theoretically, I should cut off this list. There are four speakers left. With the Taoiseach’s co-operation, I will allow the four Deputies 30 seconds each and then all the questions can be answered together.
A welcome provision in the budget was the introduction of a €1,000 State financial support towards student fees. It is a once-off payment. Unfortunately, it is not applicable to students studying in Northern Ireland, Britain or outside our State. That is wrong. We have to encourage students to travel to study on a cross-Border basis. That should be revisited.
There is also a welcome introduction of the rental tax credit of €500 to parents of third level students paying their child’s rent in a tenancy that is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board. That must be also applicable to students who are renting in registered accommodation outside our State.
The Taoiseach said that councils should buy properties in circumstances where people are in HAP or RAS tenancies and are faced with eviction. Does that include those on rent supplement? Is it actually going to happen? I ask that because on Monday I sat with a woman, Stephanie, in Springfield in Tallaght. She has four children and is studying psychology in college. She had been given a notice quit and was forced to overhold because there was nowhere she could go. The homeless placement service told her that it did not even have emergency accommodation and it would have to give her a tent for her and her four children. Thankfully, the landlord was co-operative and did not force her to leave. However, the landlord wants to sell. We are hearing from the council that there is a long list and a long process, etc.
There is an absolute chronic shortage of home care workers. We have a complete crisis in the delivery of home care. When the Taoiseach says that there are 20.4 million hours – a 17% increase – it means nothing to the man in his 90s who has been approved for two home help visits a day but cannot get them. He has been unable to leave hospital since 25 September. Another man in his 80s has been unable to leave hospital since August. Is there ever an evaluation done of the policies? This was a Fianna Fáil policy, as the Taoiseach knows, in 2008 and 2009, to destroy home care in the way that it did. What are we doing to fix it? I have a thick file on what happened in 2008 and 2009 in home care.
Yesterday, I listened to the Oireachtas Committee on Health with keen interest and quite a sense of disappointment when the members discussed the fact that every year 15,000 women in this State suffer with perinatal mental health issues. It is something that affects pretty much every family in this State and it is certainly something I am very familiar with. Bluntly, is the State serious about providing the necessary supports and conditions to help the very many families affected by this?
On the last question, that is a core part of the women’s health plan. Very significant progress has been made on women’s health over the past two years in particular. The Minister has given particular focus to that on a number of fronts.
On Deputy Brendan Smith’s point, first, I understand he has very strong concerns as a Border Deputy. He understands full well the implications. There could be complications around that, but I will have the matter examined in terms of what possibly can be done to support students. However, there are complications. I will have the matter examined.
I am not quite clear on the council’s response to Deputy Paul Murphy. Is the council willing to buy it or is it not? Has it made any effort to buy in that particular case? I do not know in that respect. On the broader issue of rent supplement, the Minister is basically telling local authorities to use their discretion and purchase houses where they can to avoid homelessness.
On the home care issue, Deputy Conway-Walsh said that the 20.4 million hours mean nothing to a particular individual. It means an awful lot to many individuals. We always need balance in our public commentary. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has succeeded in securing very substantial resources for home care in this country. The waiting lists have come down significantly. The service has expanded to such an extent that we have challenges in getting personnel now because it expanded so quickly. That needs to be acknowledged also.