Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 19 Apr 2023

Vol. 1036 No. 6

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate

Teacher Training

Deputy Matt Shanahan

The Department of Education produced an additional teacher education policy document which suggests that teacher provision will be led by a small number of university centres of teacher education. It appears to discount any opportunity for the new technological universities, only recently established, to engage formally with previous plans to develop a teacher training capability.

I mean no disrespect to the Minister of State personally, but it is entirely fitting that this question has been taken up by the Minister of State for disabilities, given the Government's approach to incapacitating our technological universities before they are fully established. I am referring to the recent Department of Education initial teacher education, ITE, policy statement, released by the Minister for Education, Deputy Norma Foley, on 28 March, which sets out a vision for the future of teacher education policy until 2030.

Buried on page eight is gobbledygook worthy of any Sir Humphrey. It is a declaration that no technological university will ever deliver primary education while the policy is in place. It states:

It is expected that ITE provision will be led by a small number of university-led centres of excellence, as envisaged by the Sahlberg II report.

Page 84 sticks the sword in further, stating:

Technological Universities will be in a position to provide subject expertise to ITE but any plans for entirely new IT provision must be led by centre of excellence.

There we have it in black and white. Technological universities are not allowed to compete for the additional higher education capacity that will be provided by the State in the coming years. In other words, get stuffed.

The university cities of Dublin, Limerick, Galway, Cork and Sligo, which includes the University of Galway, will all be looked after. Technological universities will never have teacher training. This is an artificial limit, as per Dr. Richard Thorn. The technological universities are being incapacitated by this crummy and shoddy piece of work.

Waterford was promised that the technological university would be good enough and not be an impediment to the development of a fully resourced university with a full university spectrum of courses. Ministers and previous governments said it would be a game changer. The initial teacher education policy statement gives the clearest signal yet that the current game has not changed.

The HEA reports that 10,720 learners are studying education. This has grown by 39% in the past five years. There is, however, no growth in the south east and, given the current policy the Government is ensuring, there will never be teacher training in Waterford. In fact, there never can be teacher training in Waterford.

Some 1,790 students from the south east, comprising 16% of all scholars of education, will continue to leave our region and look for opportunities elsewhere which are not given to them in their own region. They will line the pockets of universities in Dublin, Cork and Limerick and empty homes across the south east. This policy document is a disgrace. Technological universities will be hobbled before they are even fully established. The question is whether that was the policy designed from the outset.

Minister of State at the Department of Health (Deputy Anne Rabbitte)

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley. The initial teacher education policy statement which the Minister launched last month presented a vision for policy and provision across the sector which can ensure that student teachers at primary and post-primary level have the skills to support all our children and young people as learners in the years ahead.

The policy statement recognised the progress that had been made through the Teaching Council's accreditation of programmes, the structural reform that has been embedded in the system over the past decade and the actions to meet the challenges of teacher supply and Covid-19.

One of the policy's guiding principles is the continuation of the vision that initial teacher education will be led by a small number of university-led centres of teacher education excellence and that each of these will have a critical mass to provide for good teaching, research and international co-operation, with structures to ensure meaningful collaboration across educational sectors. This reaffirms the position that was first set out in the 2012 report of the international review panel on the structure of initial teacher education in Ireland. At that time, there were 19 publicly funded higher education institutions providing programmes for primary and post-primary teachers. There were also private providers. However, this growth was not co-ordinated and had evolved in a piecemeal manner, resulting in a variety of models of provision by a range of providers. The review panel concluded that this provision did not concur with high-performing international practice. A review of progress was carried out by Professor Pasi Sahlberg in 2019. The review found considerable progress towards achieving this objective.

The policy statement includes a phased implementation plan that sets out practical ways to progress this work in the years ahead. The Department of Education will work closely with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, as well as with the Teaching Council, in this regard. Within this policy context, the policy statement recognises the contributions that technological universities, TUs, can make to providing subject expertise for initial teacher education. The Deputy may be aware that a number of TUs are already involved and contributing to initial teacher education in diverse areas, while the linkage to a centre in line with policy remains key.

As autonomous bodies, it falls to individual higher education institutions to consider the scope of their further provision in line with their missions or strategies. The Department of Education favours new programmes being introduced in areas where there is an identified national need. In this regard, it would be expected that there would be a liaison with the Department by higher education institutions, the Teaching Council and the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science when considering new programme proposals. It is also expected that due regard be given to the available data on teacher supply needs. The policy statement includes a number of actions in this vein. I hope the Deputy can see that there are opportunities for the TU sector to contribute to further initial teacher education.

I have additional information that might address some of the Deputy's questions. Officials from the Department have met representatives from the South East Technological University, SETU, to discuss the potential for the latter's involvement in initial teacher education provision in collaboration with centres of initial teacher education. Following the recent publication of the initial teacher education policy, statement correspondence has been received from the SETU and a reply is being drafted.

Deputy Matt Shanahan

The Minister of State will know - the Government certainly knows - that Waterford Institute of Technology, WIT, which was the fulcrum of the new SETU, had been providing teacher training in the form of further education, which was recognised by the Teaching Council. The academics in WIT had long recognised the regional need for teacher education, particularly at secondary level, in the south east. They conducted a review of this need across the region and have the data to support the argument.

It was a fundamental understanding of the development of TUs that they would have a regional remit and that the provision of teacher education would be a part of that. Sadly, the latest departmental report underscores where influence resides and policy is written, notwithstanding the Minister of State's final comments. The idea that the ambitions of aspiring teacher students can only be realised in one of the national universities is risible and perverse, especially given the research and academic achievements of the Waterford campus of SETU over the past decade. It gives me no pleasure to say it, but it appears to be business as usual in terms of denigrating the ambitions of the south east, particularly of Waterford academics and education. I am not sure that many families in Waterford or the wider south east will thank the Government for the resumption of this discriminatory behaviour. We were promised a game-changing university but, despite what the Minister of State said, I do not see anything to counter my belief. No thanks will be forthcoming for the removal of opportunity from our region, and certainly none for those who cheered a new dawn of academic and faculty advancement in the south east, because it is not being seen. People have been cheering a new dawn. Unfortunately, this latest policy is a setting sun on the ambitions of teacher training in Waterford and the wider south east.

Deputy Anne Rabbitte

The Minister understands the Deputy's desire to ensure that the SETU can achieve its full potential and contribute to the economic and social development of the south east. He will see that there are opportunities for the TU sector to contribute to initial teacher education, as outlined. The Minister hopes that he will understand that her Department's policy consideration is that it is important to ensure our student teachers have excellent preparation that has the advantage of a critical mass in high-quality research and teaching. This policy reflects the findings of international experts on how the structures of initial teacher education in Ireland can best ensure high-quality education. The objective in publishing the policy statement is to improve the overall quality of initial teacher education. This will involve practical measures that will improve available evidence and enhance the already strong collaboration within the sector. It requires collaboration within the sector and also collaboration between Departments and State bodies, such as the Teaching Council. It will ensure that our newly qualified teachers have the necessary tools to support them in their aim of inspiring, enlightening and preparing pupils and students to succeed in life.

Following the recent publication of the initial teacher education policy, statement correspondence has been received from the SETU and a reply is being drafted. Contrary to the Deputy's comments, I cannot look into the crystal ball to see beyond what the Minister has told me. There is no outcome. The draft reply is being produced.

Road Projects

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

B’fhéidir go mbeidh an Teachta in ann píosa ama a shábháil dom. Táimid taobh thiar den am.

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

Beidh sé deacair. Mar is eol don Leas-Cheann Comhairle, tá an obair seo ag teastáil go práinneach ar an mbóthar seo agus caithfidh mé cás láidir a dhéanamh.

The N59, as a coastal national secondary route, was included in Transport 21. The idea was that those parts of the country that were far away from national primary routes would have decent national secondary routes to service them. There are 113 km of N59 in Galway – 80 km from Galway to Clifden and 33 km from Clifden to Leenane. Priority was given to the section from Galway to Clifden. Ten years ago, planning permission was given to upgrade the N59 from Oughterard to Maam Cross, but there was a condition on the planning permission, namely, that method statements had to be agreed with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, NPWS, which is part of the Minister of State's Department and not an independent agency. There was a standoff over these method statements for years. Eventually, agreement was given to do a section of the road from Bunnakill to Maam Cross, which was completed in 2021.

Based on the success of that upgrade of the road – anyone who travels it knows how safe the new section of road is compared with the other section, which is highly dangerous – method statements were submitted to the Department in December 2021. The method statement in respect of the topographical survey was confirmed in July 2022.

However, further questions were raised regarding the ground investigations and archaeological investigation, and further information was provided in September 2022. Now we have a situation where these statements were provided to the Minister of State's Department in September of last year. We are now in the middle of April. There seems to be an inordinate delay in making decisions, and it is not as if we do not have a working model for how to ensure there is no leachate into the groundwater, the lakes or the rivers, irrespective of weather.

In the meantime, the land for the two thirds of the road left to be done has been purchased and fenced by Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII. As I have said, this road is very deficient and is a danger to people who have to travel it frequently, or to those who use it for going on their holidays, or whatever other purpose they have for going to that part of Connemara. It is also deficient for buses, and again we need more buses on that particular route. The question I am asking the Minister of State is quite simple. Can he outline, in detail, what work has been done since September 2022? Why is there such a delay in deciding a method statement, and when will a decision be made so that this road can proceed to development, in either two sections or one? I understand that the idea is to do the next section from Bunnakill a third of the way in to Oughterard, and the final third again.

The Minister of State might be very explicit in giving me this detailed information, because it looks as if the Department is, once again, sitting on development in Connemara.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (Deputy Malcolm Noonan)

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, agus go raibh maith ag an Teachta Ó Cuív. The Deputy will be aware that the staff of the NPWS has been working closely with Galway County Council on this project. The development of the Oughterard-to-Maam Cross section was approved by An Bord Pleanála, as the Deputy said, in December 2013. A condition of the consent was that prior to the commencement of the construction, the construction stage erosion and sediment control plan, and all method statements, would be finalised by the construction stage contractor and would be subject to the approval of Galway County Council and the agreement of the NPWS and Inland Fisheries Ireland, IFI.

In July 2022, a method statement was prepared by Galway County Council, which outlined the methodology for a topographical survey along the N59 Bun an Choill to Oughterard as part of the overall N59 Maam Cross-to-Oughterard project, and which was approved. Further method statements, one relating to ground investigation and a second relating to archaeological investigations, were submitted in September 2022. These are being considered now by the NPWS.

This is a complex case in a designated area, namely the Lough Corrib special area of conservation, SAC, which comprises 24 separate qualifying interests, including a number of priority habitats and European protected species as set out in the habitats directive. To ensure a proper outcome to process the development, and a review and improvement of method statements, great care is being exercised. Advices are being sought regarding a number of technical, scientific and administrative matters to inform full and due consideration of the matter, as is warranted.

I appreciate the Deputy's and the local community's desire to see the project progressed, but he will appreciate that we need to tread carefully on this, given the environmental sensitivities. I assure him that officials from the NPWS are working on the issue as a priority. I will ensure they continue to do that, and revert to Galway County Council as soon as possible.

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

The reply is very weak. The reality is that they have been working on this for ten years. Prior to approving the Bun an Choill section, the original plan was to do the whole road. There were a lot of discussions, and ongoing discussions. I was over in the Department myself in the intervening years regarding method statements. It is not yesterday or today that this issue arose.

The second issue that should be understood is that - and this is the irony of it - if the road were built to the modern standards, with settlement pools to prevent the run-off of the road going directly into the streams, it would be much better for the ecology. That is not at issue. Everyone knows that a well-designed, modern road is way better in terms of leachate from the road into the streams than a badly designed, traditional road that we have in Connemara.

The issue revolves around a simple matter, that is, whether the road can be built, taking unexpected weather events into account, without some damage being caused in the actual building of the road due to the weather. It was for that reason that the Bun an Choill section to Maam Cross was allowed to go ahead. There were qualifying interests there, but they were not so severe as in the second section of the road, so that was granted. It was felt that it would become the test case to see if it could be ensured no leachate would get into the water bodies, taking into account all the kind of Connemara weather that we get - and there were dry and very wet periods during the construction of the road. Travelling the new section of road, you will see water on all sides of it. That, according to my understanding, was very successful.

Can the Minister of State be a lot more explicit, either today or by sending it to me in writing, on exactly what work has been done since September 2022 to date, and why it has been delayed so far? From whom has the technical advice been sought? When was it sought? Why was it not sought before that?

Finally, like the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2021, "as soon as possible" is becoming a sick joke in this House.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle

Táimid thar am, a Theachta. An tAire Stáit anois-----

Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív

"As soon as possible" means it is on the méar fhada, agus ní fios cén uair a gheofar freagra. Táimid ag iarraidh cinnidh, nó dáta faoina mbeidh cinneadh againn.

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

If it is of use to the Deputy, we might provide a more detailed briefing for him. I cannot give him the full response regarding the information he is seeking from me this morning but it might be useful to give him a detailed briefing by NPWS staff regarding the project, and that might be of assistance in providing where we are on the timeline.

Regarding the Wildlife (Amendment) Bill 2021, we are progressing it, and it is on the Order Paper. I hope we will make progress on that this year.

Tax Rebates

Deputy Jackie Cahill

A number of constituents have been on to me about the VAT treatment of slurry bags. A slurry bag is an efficient way of increasing slurry storage capacity on many farms. The vast majority of Irish farmers are not registered for VAT but certain items of infrastructure are VAT-reclaimable for unregistered farmers. The rule of thumb usually is that the object that the VAT is reclaimable on cannot be moved.

I have had a lot of correspondence with Revenue in the past couple of months to try to get this position clarified. Revenue says that it deems the slurry bags to be moveable infrastructure. With respect, that is utter nonsense. Anyone who would see a slurry bag that is put into operation would know that it is not possible to move it. I would like to give an example. Bulk milk tanks that are put in on farms are VAT-reclaimable and a bulk milk tank could feasibly be moved from one farm to the other but it would be next nigh impossible to move slurry bags. In an era when we are trying to increase slurry capacity on farms, to put this extra cost on farmers is just not acceptable.

In the majority of cases, slurry bags are put on small and medium-sized farms. It is a very efficient and cost-effective way of increasing slurry capacity. I am completely unsatisfied with the answers I have got from Revenue, and I want the Department of Finance to direct Revenue that slurry bags be VAT-reclaimable for unregistered farmers. This is common sense, but it is a fair approach as well. As I have said, the rule of thumb is that the infrastructure cannot be moved, and most definitely, on any farms where slurry bags are installed, they just cannot or would not be moved.

I do not want the answer that Revenue is an independent body. That answer is completely unsatisfactory. This is a policy issue, and there is a list. Slurry bags are eligible for the targeted agriculture modernisation scheme, TAMS, and there is a grant.

Young farmers can get their grant of 40% or 60% under TAMS for slurry bags. Not being able to reclaim VAT on it, however, is making it more expensive and prohibitive for many farmers to install them, even though they are an excellent solution to slurry issues and problems on farms.

The stock answer to the effect that this is a matter for Revenue, which is independent, is not satisfactory. I have had a number of instances of correspondence from Revenue. I did not take the first answer I got and I pursued the issue, but I have made no progress. It is adamant slurry bags are moveable objects and are not VAT-debatable but I do not accept that. Will the Minister for Finance direct Revenue to carry out a proper categorisation of slurry bags and allow VAT to be reclaimed on them? This is a significant issue at a time when the periods of slurry storage are increasing and farmers are looking at cost-effective options for increasing their capacity. The issue needs to be addressed urgently.

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

I am not sure whether the prepared reply I am going to outline will give any further assurances to the Deputy but it is the response of the Department. The VAT treatment of goods and services is subject to EU VAT law, with which Irish VAT law must comply. In accordance with the EU VAT directive, farmers can elect whether to register for VAT in respect of their farming business. Farmers who register for VAT have an entitlement to reclaim VAT on costs incurred in respect of the agricultural business. A farmer who has elected to register for VAT and charges VAT on supplies can claim a deduction for VAT incurred in costs used for the purposes of their taxable supplies. A VAT-registered farmer would be entitled to reclaim VAT incurred on slurry storage bags through his or her VAT returns.

Alternatively, farmers can remain unregistered and opt for the flat-rate farmer scheme. This scheme is a long-standing arrangement under VAT law that allows farmers who remain unregistered for VAT purposes to be compensated on an overall basis for the VAT charged to them on their purchases of goods and services. It allows such farmers to charge and retain a flat-rate addition to the sum they charge for the agricultural goods and services they supply in the course of their farming business. The flat-rate addition is calculated as a percentage of the sum payable to the farmer and is a matter of fact based on commercial agreements between the farmer and the customer. The scheme is designed to reduce the administrative burden for farmers and allows them to remain outside the normal VAT system, thereby avoiding the obligations of registration and returns.

Unregistered farmers may also be able to avail of a VAT refund on certain expenses allowed under their value added tax refund order of 2012. The VAT refund order allows for refunds to be claimed on outlay incurred on the construction of a farm building or structure, on the fencing, draining or reclamation of farmland and on the construction of equipment for the purpose of the microgeneration of electricity for use in the farm business. Revenue has advised, however, that outlay for other purposes such as slurry storage bags does not come within the scope of the refund order.

Deputy Jackie Cahill

I thank the Minister of State for the reply but it is exactly the kind of reply I expected. I am a practising farmer and I fully understand how VAT operates on farms. He stated:

Revenue has advised, however, that outlay for other purposes such as slurry storage bags does not come within the scope of the refund order.

It is incomprehensible to say slurry storage should not be VAT-refundable for unregistered farmers. Farmers who are registered for VAT are, in the vast majority of cases, responsible for very large units, while ordinary rank-and-file farmers tend not to be registered for VAT. Such farmers will use the VAT refund in these cases where they are putting additional infrastructure on their farm and can reclaim VAT. VAT in respect of fencing is reclaimable, and if a milking parlour or an underground slurry tank is installed, the VAT on that is reclaimable, but the VAT in respect of slurry bags is not.

I do not accept the answer. The Minister for Finance has to go to Revenue and direct it to re-examine this classification. How can anyone with common sense say slurry storage should not come under the refund order? As I said, I have contacted Revenue on a number of occasions and received this same cock-and-bull story of an answer. It is either laziness or incompetence on the part of Revenue not to recognise that this is an efficient, cost-effective way of storing slurry for a lot of small and medium-sized farmers, and for it not to be VAT-rebatable is unacceptable.

I urge the Minister of State to speak to the Minister for Finance with a view to his insisting that Revenue re-examine the refund order to allow VAT on slurry bags to be reclaimable. It makes no sense. We are in an era when slurry storage capacity is going to have to increase on the vast majority of farms, and this discrepancy as regards VAT refunds is just not acceptable.

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

As I outlined, in accordance with the EU VAT directive, farmers can elect whether to register for VAT in respect of their farming business. I take on board the point the Deputy made about larger farms being more inclined towards VAT registration, but for many small farmers, registering for VAT is an unnecessary complexity that is not possible to justify given the small-scale nature of their business. The farmer's flat-rate scheme, therefore, provided by the EU VAT directive is key to supporting such farmers. It is used by the majority of member states, including Ireland. The current rate for the flat-rate addition is 5% and this is reviewed each year in the run-up to the budget in accordance with the criteria set down in the directive. It is based on macroeconomic data, including the cost of agricultural inputs and production, as well as the prevailing VAT structures averaged out over the three preceding years. The rate for 2023 is based on data obtained from years 2020 to 2022.

Farmers who do not choose to register for VAT have an entitlement to reclaim VAT on costs incurred in respect of agricultural business. As I mentioned, a VAT-registered farmer would, therefore, be entitled to reclaim VAT incurred on slurry storage bags through their VAT returns. Farmers who are not registered for VAT are compensated for VAT incurred on goods and services used in the course of their farming businesses, including the purchase of agricultural equipment, through the flat-rate addition they receive on payments for their supply of agricultural produce and services. Unregistered farmers can also reclaim VAT for the construction, extension, alteration or reconstruction of a building or structure designated for use solely or mainly for the purposes of farming businesses. However, this cannot be extended for other purposes such as slurry storage bags, given Revenue has advised they do not come within the scope of the refund order.

The Deputy could have this conversation with the Minister during the discussions for budget 2024, although I will certainly raise the matter with him on his behalf.

Housing Provision

Deputy Johnny Guirke

What measures are being put in place in rural areas to prevent an increase in homelessness on foot of the Government's decision to end the ban on no-fault evictions? In my county, Meath, 319 people are in emergency accommodation, including 85 families, 87 children and 130 single people. On top of this, 250 further tenancies have been issued with notices of quit. At present, there is no availability of emergency accommodation in County Meath and, therefore, people from the county are being sent to Drogheda, County Louth. I have been called by people in emergency accommodation in Drogheda who have been on the housing list in Meath for years. I have been contacting the local authorities but have made little or no progress. It is deeply depressing for me, so the Minister of State can imagine what it is like for the people I am representing.

A family who came to my office the other day have been living in their house for more than ten years. They have three kids and have been served with a notice to quit. They earn too much to qualify for the housing list but not enough to get a mortgage. They anticipate they are going to end up in emergency accommodation. Where are they going to go?

Almost all local authorities are at full capacity and no social or affordable housing is available. At the same time, there has been an underspend of €1 billion in the middle of the worst housing crisis in history. Where are people going to go?

Deputy Sorca Clarke

If you were to believe everything you see in the media, you would almost think this country was a doughnut in many respects, but I am here to reassure the Minister of State it is not. The midlands is experiencing the housing crisis as deeply as all the cities. How does the Minister of State intend to deal specifically with rural Ireland when it comes to the additional challenges of homelessness it faces? Local authorities are simply unable to cope with the level of demand coming into them. One of my local authorities has stated that, along with many other local authorities, it does not have the capacity to meet the current demand with regard to clients presenting as homeless.

That is one of my local authorities. I am blessed to have two. The other has been telling people since last summer, before the introduction of the eviction ban, that if they leave their home - their rented accommodation - on the final date of their notice to quit, they will be refused emergency accommodation and homeless supports because they will be deemed to have made themselves homeless. These are all contributing factors as to why in my town today there is a five-week-old baby who was born into homelessness by Caesarean section. The baby and her parents were sleeping in a car up until a few evenings ago when a charity unrelated to housing started paying for a couple of nights in bed and breakfast accommodation.

Deputy Martin Kenny

When it comes to the housing crisis, the issue is devastating in all areas of the country. In rural Ireland, as my colleagues have said, it is the same. In my constituency of Sligo-Leitrim, this is a crisis for many families, particularly those in rural areas. I spoke to people in the housing department in recent days. While the guidelines on what to do are clearer now than they were two weeks ago, that has come very late in the day. We have people with notices to quit their properties and the local authority is trying to deal with that as fast as it can. In many cases, it is not doing so quick enough because these guidelines were very late coming to the table. As my colleagues have said, guidelines do not provide housing for people. We need a means to provide housing. Many people with notices to quit are living in rural housing in rural areas, and local authorities, notwithstanding all the guidelines they have, are saying they are not interested in buying those houses. Where are those people to go? That is one of the main issues.

We also have issues where, for example, a family with two children living in a three-bedroom house are being told they are over-housed in a house of that size. There are all kinds of problems in that regard. Many people have incomes that are over the €30,000 threshold. Many have a wage of between €30,000 and €40,000. They are over the threshold to get on the local authority housing list but cannot afford to buy a house. They are left in this precarious situation in rental accommodation. We need a solution for this because what we have had so far are not solutions.

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

I thank the Deputies. Before I respond, I should point out that this matter was raised in the Chamber last night in the context of the Sinn Féin Private Members' motion. Deputy Harkin also raised it in relation to the north west. The Government is cognisant and mindful of the challenges facing local authorities and people and families across the country, not just in the greater Dublin area and larger urban centres. We are conscious of that. A homelessness prevention workshop was held by the Housing Agency in 2022 focusing on needs and challenges across the country. One of the local authorities, Kilkenny County Council in my constituency, has taken a proactive stance. There is a good pipeline of housing delivery in the county and the council is working on a case-by-case basis with families at risk of homelessness. There is a good system in place for dealing with that. It is not perfect by any means and each local authority deals with the issue differently. There is, however, some good work going on across the country. I am mindful of the issue raised by Deputy Kenny about local authorities not buying houses in rural areas. I think they should do so. It is important that any option to purchase houses is taken up. There are also options for people who are over the income threshold for social housing.

The Residential Tenancies (Deferment of Termination Dates of Certain Tenancies) Act 2022 was a time-limited enactment which provided for a stay on eviction notices until 31 March 2023, with deferred tenancy terminations taking effect over a staggered period from 1 April to 18 June. Supporting individuals and families facing homelessness in both urban and rural areas is a key Government priority. The Government and the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, considered numerous courses of action in advance of ending the winter moratorium period and they believe that a focus on additional new supply is the best way forward. On 7 March, the Minister announced further measures to increase supply of social homes to mitigate the impact of the end of the winter emergency period. These included an increase in the number of supply of social housing acquisitions to 1,500 in 2023 to reduce the number of households at risk of homelessness; an additional 1,000 homes through targeted leasing initiatives in 2023 and 2024; and the amendment of the capital advanced leasing facility used by AHBs to assist them in their efforts to deliver social homes.

The Government has also recently agreed a number of new measures to give tenants the opportunity to buy or remain in their home, including the development of a legislative provision, which may require that a landlord selling a property offers first right of refusal to a tenant or another designated body. Further details of this will be available in due course. That is on an administrative basis from 1 April. The first home scheme board has also agreed to extend eligibility to this cohort who may wish to purchase their property and is now accepting applications from eligible tenants who have received a notice of termination. The local authority home loan may also be of assistance in this regard.

The Department has developed a temporary cost-rental tenant in situ scheme, which will see the Housing Agency acquire a home in order that a tenant who has received an order of termination and is at risk of homelessness, and where the household is not on social housing supports, will be enabled to continue to reside in the property. The scheme has been operating on an administrative basis since 1 April. The measures outlined apply nationwide, including in rural constituencies and counties.

The Minister has also reiterated the importance of being proactive in acquiring properties where a HAP or RAS tenant has received a notion of termination. He has done this both in correspondence and in person with local authority chief executives at the recent housing summits. The Minister is in regular contact with the County and City Management Association, CCMA, and local authorities to ensure all measures we have put in place over the months and weeks are communicated by local authorities and they are proactive in dealing with families on a case-by-case basis to ensure their housing needs are met.

Deputy Johnny Guirke

There is no social or affordable housing where I come from in rural Ireland. Evictions started to take place on 1 April and will continue right through the summer. There are 250 families facing eviction in County Meath. Where are they going? They are going to Drogheda for homeless accommodation. This has not been addressed. We need a Government that will address these issues, and that will not be done under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

Deputy Sorca Clarke

What I have heard in the Minister of State's speech is essentially what the local authorities are saying on the ground. It is not his responsibility; it is the local authority's responsibility. In the case of the local authorities they tell people they are not refusing homeless support because they have told them to go to Midlands Simon Community. That is not tangible support. People cannot live in guidance documents. They cannot live in workshops, worthy as they may be. It does not take a mathematician to work out the number of notices to quit across counties Longford and Westmeath versus the 20 properties available to rent today.

I will put another issue to the Minister of State. We have all this talk about the right of first refusal but if a young couple in my constituency are paying between €1,200 and €1,500 per month in rent, where are they to get a deposit to buy the property?

Deputy Martin Kenny

Many people are paying very high rent and simply cannot afford to save. That is one of the big issues they have. They cannot afford to save the deposit for a house. I mentioned a case in this Chamber last night of a woman in Sligo. She has a deposit of 10% because she received it from her mother. However, she has been turned down because she has to show that 3% of that deposit comes from consistent savings. Her rent increased by more than 30% in the past year. She does not have consistent savings. If she could get the mortgage to buy the property and live in it, her mortgage repayments would be around half of her present rent. Despite this, she is tied up with this red tape. The only consistent factor in all of this is that the Government continues to come with all of this red tape, all of these rules, regulations, difficulties and hurdles for people to jump when they are stressed out of their minds. People are afraid they are going to be put out on the street, yet the Government has all of these regulations that need to be met. It is simply not working and there need to be solutions. The solution is to provide housing for people and for the local authorities to buy houses and put people into them.

Deputy Malcolm Noonan

I reassure the Deputies that we are providing housing. It is not an issue of passing the buck to local authorities. There is collective responsibility and the Government is mindful of that. Resources and funding are not obstacles to the urgent efforts required. More than €215 million has been allocated to homeless services, including homeless prevention in 2023. This funding will ensure local authorities across the country can provide homelessness prevention services, emergency accommodation and other services to households either experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Households experiencing homelessness are supported to exit homelessness to tenancies as quickly as possible.

To assist all stakeholders further to implement ongoing and additional measures to mitigate the impact of the emergency winter eviction ban, the Housing Agency and the Department hosted a workshop on 29 March. It was a successful engagement that ensured those working in the area are equipped to utilise all the tools at their disposal to try to address, prevent and reduce homelessness. The big issue is increasing supply and the Government is firmly committed to doing so. Extending the eviction ban would not have done that.

We had almost 30,000 homes - we have put out the figures and they are correct - completed in 2022, a 45% increase on the figure for 2021, but we know and we are mindful that we need to do more. We can see the activation right across the country, with projects on site this year as well, in social, affordable and other forms of tenure. The solution lies in supply, but I reiterate the point that local authorities need to work individually with families. I know, from my experience with the families I deal with in Kilkenny, that local authorities are working consistently and having success in preventing homelessness and ensuring that families have a pathway towards secure and affordable housing.