79. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht to detail his formal engagements with the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage; and the outcomes of those engagements. [56317/25]

Sentiment score: 0.10

The rural housing crisis is the biggest single issue impacting rural communities and the long-term sustainability of rural Ireland. Previously, I asked the Minister about his engagement with the Minister for housing on this issue. To be fair, it was a number of months ago, and at that point the Minister had not been in the job all that long. Meetings had not taken place, although he indicated that engagement would follow. We also discussed the need for housing to be the cornerstone of the new rural development policy, the successor to the Our Rural Future scheme, which had very little to say about housing. Will the Minister update the House on that engagement, confirm whether a cross-departmental working group on rural housing has been established and outline what formal engagements he has had with the Minister for housing in a formal sense about the issue of rural housing?

Sentiment score: 0.24

Is iontach é sin a cloisteáil, i ndáiríre, mar bhí an bhuairt ann nach raibh cainteanna ag dul ar aghaidh. Mar sin, cuirim fáilte roimh sin, ar a laghad. It is great that those engagements have taken place and I thank the Minister of State for his answer and for detailing the level of engagement and the issues that have been discussed by the Minister with the Department of housing. There are two big pieces of work under way in the Minister's Department in the successor to Our Rural Future and the Government's housing plan. Forgive me for being cynical, but I think most people would have a fairly sceptical approach to these plans, particularly on the housing side, given the failure to action any of the proposals contained in them. It is really important that those two plans would, at the very least, be conversant with each other and would have joint sets of objectives, key metrics and key actions that have very specific timelines to them. This would ensure that the two Ministers and their officials can keep tabs on it and that those of us on this side of the House can ensure progress is happening. These are existential issues both for na ceantair Gaeltachta and for so many rural communities across this country.

Sentiment score: -0.00

Chun mo cheart a thabhairt dom féin, níl sé i mo nádúr a bheith soiniciúil ach tá sé deacair gan a bheith i bhfianaise an méid nár thit amach thar na blianta. Mar is eol don Aire, tá géarchéim tithíochta sna ceantair Ghaeltachta agus níor sholáthar an buiséad, in ainneoin an méid atá ráite ag an Aire anseo, an maoiniú breise nó na cumhachtaí breise atá riachtanach chun dul i ngleic leis an bhfadhb. Feictear dúinn nach bhfuil na cumhachtaí ná na hacmhainní ag an údarás chun tithe sóisialta, tithe inacmhainne, tithe i suíomhanna seirbhíse inacmhainne nó tithe príobháideacha a thógáil inár gceantair Ghaeltachta nó ar fud fad tuath na hÉireann. In ainneoin an mhéid a fógraíodh an tseachtain seo caite, ní fheictear dúinn go bhfuil na hacmhainní cuí, na cumhachtaí cuí nó an toil pholaitiúil ann chun dul i ngleic leis. Beidh le feiscint. Guím gach rath ar an saothar ach fós féin níl na treoirlínte pleanála Gaeltachta ann. Cé go bhfuil sé casta, is rud bunúsach é atá á dhéanamh le blianta anois agus tá éileamh mór ag teacht ón bpobal faoi sin. Níl sé i mo nádúr a bheith soiniciúil ach tá sé an-deacair gan a bheith.

Sentiment score: -0.08