I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, together. The Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland’s Future, recognises the importance of Cabinet committees to the policy development and oversight work of Government. The Cabinet committee on the European Union and international affairs was established by the Government on 18 February 2025. Its role is to oversee implementation of programme for Government commitments in respect of the European Union, including preparation for Ireland's Presidency in the second half of 2026 and international issues. A date for the next meeting of the Cabinet committee has not yet been scheduled. It most recently met on Monday, 16 June in advance of the June European Council meeting. The committee considered the substantial items on the agenda for the June European Council. As I told the House in my statement last week, the June European Council discussed developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, including the humanitarian situation in Gaza. European defence and security, global economic developments, competitiveness, migration, preparedness and the European Union's internal security were also on the agenda. While European Union-US trade negotiations were not a formal agenda item, given the approaching deadline for the end of the US pause on higher rate tariffs, it was discussed among leaders. As the House will be aware, I have expressed my disappointment at the letter sent by the US to the European Union and the indication that a tariff of 30% may be imposed on imports from the European Union. The European Union continues to negotiate with the United States in good faith. Notwithstanding the letter, the facts remain that the deadline for talks is 1 August. The European Commission has been clear that it is working towards the conclusion of a deal as soon as possible and in advance of the deadline. The Government strongly supports these efforts. Our objective remains agreement on a mutually beneficial deal that works for both sides. A negotiated outcome is the best way forward. I was in touch with President von der Leyen by phone on 7 July and again at the weekend when she updated me on the latest situation in negotiations with the United States. While the European Union will continue to work for an agreement, it will also continue to prepare for other outcomes.
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I thank all the Deputies for raising a range of questions. Deputy Bacik first raised the issue of tariffs and Deputy Lawless concluded on that. Fundamentally, a 30% tariff is untenable and unsustainable. It would have to be met with a very strong European Union response if it were to be maintained. That would have the effect of creating a reaction in the markets, in my view, and would in itself create an utter economic crisis because Europe and the US have the biggest trading relationship in the world. We therefore hope we can get to a negotiated settlement and a solution here. That has been the mindset of the European Union from day one. There is no question about the impact of this; there will be impacts. The Economic and Social Research Institute did a number of analyses of different tariff levels, particularly a 10% tariff, for example, and what the impact would be. It predicted a decline in economic growth and an ease in employment creation. At 10%, we would not create as many jobs as we have been creating in recent years. If it were 30%, we would be talking about huge economic decline, job cuts or job reductions in the private sector and so on - if that were to come to pass. The situation is very serious; no one is trying to hide that. The European Union does not want tariffs and has not sought tariffs. We have a number of events coming up. We have the summer economic statement to be published. That outlines the broad expenditure proposals. We have the budget itself. We have the completion of the national development plan. All those are predicated on the Department of Finance finance projections in terms of revenue and so on. Tariffs could potentially impact tax revenue, employment and sectors in our economy that are very strong, such as pharmaceutical and medtech. Therefore, we have to keep this under review. There is no certainty here; it is a situation of uncertainty. There was a surge of exports prior to the arrival of tariffs at the beginning of the year. That might impact beneficially on the surplus at the end of this year. We do not know; we have to wait and see. That does not mean that will be replicated next year or the year after. Under the European Union medium-term fiscal framework, we have to present a five-year plan to Brussels. The context could not be more uncertain given what is happening. Deputy Shane Moynihan raised Sudan. I am glad he did and it is welcome because very few people are speaking about the atrocities in Sudan and the level of killing and destruction of the civilian population in Sudan and the enormous displacement of people. It is absolutely horrendous and shocking and goes to the heart of the very destructive inhumanity of warfare. Ireland has raised this at all multilateral forums, at the European Union and at the UN, and we have advocated for stronger sanctions, also on some neighbouring countries which are fuelling this because of their own vested and geopolitical interests. The result is millions of civilians losing out in terms of their fundamental human rights and the basic necessities of life in terms of a home and so forth. Deputy Ó Cearúil also raised the EU tariffs. I outlined where we are there. I hope, and this is the view in Europe, that the setting of the 1 August deadline presents an opportunity for dialogue, although Europe is conscious of the impacts of all this because Europe thought it had a deal days before last weekend. There was, more or less, an outline agreement in principle which Europe thought had been arrived at and then suddenly this 30% came onto the table. That does not augur well. We have to prepare for all eventualities. We will keep people informed. Deputy Coppinger raised issues of human rights. Ireland raises human rights abuses and breaches at all multilateral forums and bilaterally with nations and we will continue to do that. On issues within the US, we will look at those and take assessments from various bodies and so on that can comment on those. In response to Deputy Ó Murchú, Ireland has been, without question, among the foremost countries highlighting the appalling impact of the war in Gaza on Palestinians and also the terrible, shocking terrorist behaviour of settlers in the West Bank. We were one of the first, along with Slovenia, Spain and Norway, to recognise the Palestinian State and we have also pushed for suspension of the EU-Israel trade agreement. A menu has come on the table today from the High Representative of certain aspects we can progress but the problem is that will require support from other European Union countries and it is not yet clear whether that could achieve a qualified voting majority. If, for example, we looked at the Horizon Europe programme in terms of seeking to put pressure on Israel and not facilitate its use of the Horizon programme, would that get the requisite support? That is something we are working on and we are engaging with other like-minded countries, as we have done, with the EU-Israel association agreement. We did it with Spain alone and then with eight other countries some weeks ago. We have also asked the European Union to ask itself whether it is in conformity with the International Court of Justice judgment and opinion.
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Could we-----
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-----eat into the next question?
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Maybe we could take off-----
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That is what I am saying.
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On letting them play, I am perplexed about this. Deputy Paul Murphy raised this as well. I am slightly worried that there is a campaign under way to try to blame the Government or create this narrative, as Deputy Murphy did, that the Government is anti-Palestinian or is not facilitating Palestinians coming to Ireland. The bottom line is 700 visas have been granted to Palestinian nationals since the outbreak of the war.
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There is no delay in medical evacuations whatsoever. A false narrative has developed around medical evacuation of children from Palestine. I do not know where that is coming from or why people would even want to create that false narrative to undermine the Government..
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No, it is not.
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The doctor should maybe contact the Minister. We work with the World Health Organization. Some doctors wanted to do it by another route through Jordan. We can look at that but let us do it properly, through the proper channels, because these are serious matters. These are children with serious injuries. We have to make sure their parents are on board. Family unification is there and we have done that already with 12 children. There are, I think, 45 adults with those 12 children already. I am very clear there will be family reunification. Let us not have Members just saying the Government is anti this or that – it is not. GAA Palestine has come out of left-field, to be frank. Why was there not proper negotiations or engagement with the Government well in advance before any visas were applied for?
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I am dealing with it now but it is an important point. This is a serious matter. You cannot have a group forming in any locality and simply say, "Ignore all your normal regulatory procedures for visa applications". That is not possible. You have to get the documentation right. We have to know who is coming in with the children. We have to know the passports are proper. A lot of that was open to question, apparently, according to the documentation that was submitted.
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Just hear me out, please. For the children, additional documents must be verified, including birth certificates and letters of consent to establish the relationship between the child and the adult they are travelling with. Most of the children would not have been travelling with a parent. Then there are all sorts of issues about employment, other ties and indicating that a person has obligations to return to home. Those are all there as regulations. For some reason, over the last four or five days, no appeal was entered at all.
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I will come to that. The basic thing that should have happened is that an appeal should have been entered.
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That was today, at 1 o'clock?
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It does not sound right to me that an appeal would come in in that manner given that a week or more has passed since the original decision. The whole thing is somewhat perplexing. That is all I am saying.
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I do not know whether GAA Palestine is affiliated to the GAA. Normally what would happen is a sporting organisation would come to the Government of the day and say "We want to organise X, Y and Z" well in advance.
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I do not know who is behind the whole thing.
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Sorry, look that is-----
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Whose campaign is it? Is it the Deputy's campaign or whose campaign is it? What is going on?
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So would I.
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Sorry, but I do not understand the way the Deputy is dealing with it. It seems to be more about the campaign than the children. I hate saying that.
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I am asking legitimate questions. There was no notification that anyone was coming. You do not just rock up to the Department of justice, ad hoc, and say "Minister, come down here". He might not even have been in the building.
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All of it suggests that something is not right, in my view. I am not saying anything was done wrong by the organisers but the whole thing seems haphazardly organised. That is all I can say.
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It is strange; that is all I can say.
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We are talking about children here. I think there should be a greater sense of organisation behind this and-----
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We want to help.
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Apologies. Tibet will be on the EU-China forum. We always raise issues with China. China always responds, by the way, robustly and never has any issue with the matter being raised. We do not get a satisfactory response from our perspective. On the Dalai Lama and so forth, I could not agree with the Deputy more.
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 to 17, inclusive, together. Ireland enjoys a deep and strong relationship with Canada, a country with which we share many values. Increasingly, that relationship has an economic focus. In recent times, we have expanded our presence in Canada with consulates opened in Vancouver and Toronto in addition to our embassy in Ottawa. We also have a strong agency presence in Canada, including the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and Tourism Ireland. Ireland and Canada also have a collaborative relationship on many global issues, including working towards a peaceful resolution and a massive humanitarian response to the war in Gaza, and in supporting Ukraine. I wrote to Prime Minister Carney to offer my congratulations on his election victory and said that I looked forward to co-operating with him and with his new Government in the period ahead. Like many Canadians, Prime Minister Carney has strong Irish heritage with family connections to Mayo and he has spoken of how important that heritage is to him. I am confident that our bilateral relations will continue to go from strength to strength throughout his tenure. I have not yet had the opportunity to meet the prime minister in person since he took up his new role but I look forward to doing so at the earliest possible opportunity. I welcome the recent EU-Canada summit attended by Prime Minister Carney. It was a useful opportunity to reaffirm and strengthen the EU-Canada strategic partnership following political changes in Canada and the EU. The Canada-EU relationship, like the bilateral relationship between Canada and Ireland, is based on shared values, a long history of close co-operation and strong people-to-people ties. The summit’s theme of Enduring Partnership, Ambitious Agenda reflects the importance of the Canada-EU relationship at this juncture and Ireland welcomes the ambition of the joint statement for a new and comprehensive partnership across a range of thematic areas. Furthermore, the Government is committed to ratifying the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, between the EU and Canada. This is clearly set out in our programme for Government. Since the agreement was provisionally applied in 2017, we have seen a significant increase in trade between our countries. Goods exports to Canada increased from €936 million in 2016 to more than €4.1 billion in 2024. Services exports grew from €1.44 billion in 2016 to more than €3.6 billion in 2023. Ratifying CETA is firmly in the interests of workers, taxpayers and businesses in rural and urban Ireland and I find it extraordinary that so many in this House have opposed its ratification to date. The global economy is changing in ways that are making trade with like-minded, stable and reliable partners like Canada more important than ever before. I look forward to further deepening relations with Canada in the period ahead.
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I am amazed and somewhat shocked at the orientation and nature of the Opposition's presentations, particularly in terms of CETA. Someone said these are legitimate questions about the investor courts. The investor courts were dealt with through the European court judgment and will be dealt with in terms of the legislation. All trade agreements have to have a mediating facility and mechanism. Deputy O'Rourke stated that these are legitimate concerns in the context of fossil fuels and so on, but not one of the Deputies opposite mentioned - Deputies Ó Cearúil and Byrne did - that there are 15,000 people employed by Canadian companies. Does that matter to them? It does not matter to any of them. This is almost economic illiteracy. That exports do not matter-----
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-----that we do not believe in free trade.
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You are saying it. Not one of you could say you will vote for CETA or will endorse CETA.
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Yes, you are against it.
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You are against something in the context of which trade from Ireland went up from €936 million in 2016 to €4.1 billion in 2024.
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How could you be against that?
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Some of the Opposition purport to be in favour of workers. You could not care less about workers, Deputy Murphy. You could not care less about Irish workers. It is Irish workers who benefit from that level of exports. Indigenous companies and people working for multinationals also benefit. You just could not care less.
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You do not care about anything to do with the western hemisphere-----
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-----and that is your position. This is a fundamental point that has been raised time and time again. Those opposite say they are against this and against that. They do not believe in an enterprise economy, they do not believe in free trade and they do not really believe in workers' opportunity to develop and grow within their employments under the model we have here. That is a very serious issue in terms of this consistency over eight or nine years. It is provisionally in operation, Deputy Ó Murchú, but it is not legislated for. We have to ratify it. We do so, given the fact we are a small, open economy whose workers depend on trade. We manufacture so many goods that are meant for export because we could not consume them in a small island like Ireland. What is the Opposition at in the context of its economic and trade policies? With tariffs coming from the US, of course we should embrace a Canadian-European Union trade agreement and economic partnership. Ireland has a strong economic partnership with Canada, and we should not apologise for that. Canada is not going to be perfect. We are not perfect. Canada will have aspects to its policy it has developed over the years that we may not agree with. Overall, however, it has been a benign, friendly country. There are huge Irish roots and heritage there. There is a disconnect in this house between what puts bread and butter on the tables of Irish people and the Opposition's hang-ups about investor courts and this, that and the other. It is a completely disproportionate, illogical approach that the Opposition takes. Not one of the Deputies from Labour, Aontú or any other party could say that they will support the CETA legislation. I find that extraordinary.
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Other issues were raised. To Deputy Ó Cearúil, we will embrace the strategic partnership. We have our position of military neutrality. I do not know whether it was Deputy Murphy or Deputy Coppinger who suggested our relationship with Canada was about militarisation, armaments and so on-----
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-----but it most certainly is not. Other EU member states are entitled to have their positions on defence.
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We are.
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We are not part of NATO.
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If you talk-----
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-----to people from Lithuania and Latvia, they have very legitimate existential concerns given their countries' long histories with Russia and the manner in which Russia treated them. Time and time again, it invaded those countries and violated their integrity. If the Deputy was living in Lithuania, he might have a different perspective to the one he has now.
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 to 34, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on housing last met on Thursday 5 June and is due to meet again on Monday 21 July. The committee works to ensure a cross-Government approach to the implementation of our commitments in respect of housing policy. Housing supply has increased significantly over the past number of years, with almost 140,000 new homes delivered since the start of 2020. However, we know we need to do more. Housing is the single most urgent and important social and economic issue facing our country and one we are determined to get to grips with. The programme for Government sets out our ambition to build on the success of Housing for All to accelerate the delivery of homes. Since entering office, we have allocated over €700 million to housing That is in addition to the €6 billion already allocated in budget 2025. This includes €450 million to build a further 3,000 social, affordable and cost rental homes and an additional €265 million to second-hand social housing acquisitions, bringing the total available for acquisitions in 2025 to €325 million. This increased funding, which will support tenant in situ acquisitions, will greatly help in preventing people falling into homelessness due to the sale of their rental homes. We have also have brought forward a suite of measures to boost the delivery of homes. Among these, the revision of the national planning framework will enable local authorities to zone the significantly higher quantum of land needed to meet our ambition for housing delivery. We established the housing activation office in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. It will address barriers to the delivery of infrastructure projects needed to enable housing development. Additionally, the new infrastructure division in the Department of public expenditure will improve efficiency in delivering strategic infrastructure projects, critical to supporting us in scaling up housing delivery over the medium term. We are moving at pace to reform our planning system, through the implementation of the landmark Planning and Development Act 2024. An Coimisiún Pleanála has been established and will focus on accelerating crucial planning decisions and reducing delays. The Government has also approved changes which will allow current holders of planning permissions for housing developments that have not yet commenced to apply for an extension of up to three years. This is about getting things moving and ensuring we do not lose out on the delivery of thousands of potential homes. As a further measure to encourage the supply of much-needed homes, Government has published new guidelines which will strike a balance between ensuring apartment development meet the needs of society in terms of standards and quality, while promoting an increased level of delivery overall. In publishing these guidelines, we are taking decisive action without compromising on any essential regulations to ensure apartments are viable to build. The Land Development Agency, LDA, has proven very successful in delivering social and affordable homes to date. We believe it can do even more, which is why we have agreed to an expansion to its remit. Earlier this month, we agreed to introduce a single-stage approval process for all social housing projects, up to a value of €200 million. This will cut red tape and support local authorities and approved housing bodies, AHBs, to increase and speed up the delivery of much-needed homes. The Government has also agreed reforms to rent pressure zones which, among other things, will strengthen the rights of tenants and will help to stimulate increased investment and development over the longer term. We are currently developing a new housing plan that will be aligned with the outcome of the national development plan, NDP, review process currently under way. It is clear that we have many significant challenges, especially with the viability of apartment development. We will pursue every action possible and be creative in our thinking as we move to step up housing delivery. These decisions, which will be reflected in the revised plan, will allow us to drive forward and ensure momentum across all different areas of housing delivery over the lifetime of this Government.
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Deputy Sheehan referred to the size of apartments and the change in the guidance and standardisation in terms of design and so on. That is not being done at the behest of developers. There is a well recognised and analysed viability gap in terms of the construction of apartments in cities and, indeed, across the country. It is well documented that there is a fundamental issue in terms of cost and viability. This is just one measure of a whole range of measures we have taken to try to bring private sector investment into the private rental market and into the apartment area, on top of the huge public sector investment in housing. At present, the main burden of investment in housing is being taken up by the State. The planning Act introduced a major overhaul of the planning laws. An Coimisiún Pleanála has been established. A range of house and apartment types and sizes will be developed to meet the different needs of those seeking housing. Not everyone has the same housing need. Positives will come out of this for certain parts of society that require smaller units. Houses will still be built. Two- and three-bedroom apartments will be built. It is a range of construction. Deputy O'Rourke raised the issue of water infrastructure. I spoke to his party leader earlier on this. The Government is focusing on investment in public infrastructure, and water infrastructure in particular. I will pursue the issue in Duleek with the Minister and alert him that the Deputy raised it. To respond to Deputy Coppinger, the help to buy and first home schemes have been very effective for new-time buyers. In terms of the tenant in situ scheme, a total of €325 million was allocated this year to local authorities the length and breadth of the country to buy second-hand properties. Tenant in situ social acquisitions are focused on tenants in receipt of HAP and RAS who receive a notice of termination. There are other mechanisms as well. This funding for second-hand acquisitions is part of a wider amount of €2 billion in total. These are supports for local authorities and AHBs to deliver new social homes.
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A lot more social homes are built now than there were historically. The building of social homes is at a 40-year record, which does not get recognised at all.
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Of those on the homeless lists, as I think that is what Deputy Tóibín was referring to, close to 50% are from the EU or the EEA. We have a growing population. The timelines as to when people come on to the emergency accommodation lists are a matter that needs to be examined in the context of the needs of people when they arrive in. The growing population has created new demands and pressures on our system. Of that, there is no doubt. To respond to Deputy McGrath, while the Government is focused on affordable housing, it has to balance that with social housing. Getting more people out of the private rental sector and into social housing would take pressure off the private market. We are absolutely focused on supporting affordability and getting more affordable homes, particularly for those, as the Deputy said, who are above the social housing income threshold but do not have the financial resources available to purchase a home. That is a very significant group of people who need attention and supports. With regard to Deputy Heneghan’s question, a statement was issued today on the private wires. A number of areas have been identified where this will be applied and legislation will be forthcoming from the Minister. That will be an opportunity to maybe broaden out some aspects and the breath of the proposal. Deputy Ó Murchú raised CAS funding. There are a range of Government funding schemes available to housing, and there will continue to be. The national development plan will give a new capital framework for housing over the next five years. I have spoken about the tenant in situ scheme already. Deputy Lawless referenced a whole range of schemes that he said were not delivering. I note that he said there were hundreds of applications in for the vacant grant and dereliction scheme. Obviously, grants take time to be paid down. It has been a popular scheme and very well received. It is proving to be effective.
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Is that in terms of-----
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The Minister is pursuing that issue.
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Potentially. We have to wait to see the details of what will come forward from the Minister.
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