I thank the Deputies for raising this important issue on the provision of an ambulance base at Recess, County Galway. I know how important this issue is to them. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of Minister for Health. As the Deputies are aware, this Government has a consistent track record of investment in the National Ambulance Service, NAS, with significant increases in funding since 2019. Budget 2025 confirmed this Government’s commitment to continued investment in NAS, with an additional allocation of €8 million for new service developments in 2025. This brings the allocation for NAS in 2025 to €285 million, representing an increase of €117 million, or more than 69%, on its 2019 allocation. Increased funding in 2025 will provide for up to 180 additional NAS staff, including paramedics to support the delivery of essential front-line services, facilitate the expansion of alternative care pathways and the continued development of specialist services such as the NAS critical care retrieval service. Current staffing provision in the county stands at 137 whole-time equivalents. In addition, there are 18 active community first responder, CFR, groups in County Galway. CFRs are volunteers who are trained to attend certain types of emergency calls in the area where they live or work. Galway also benefits from the emergency aeromedical service provided by NAS in conjunction with the Irish Air Corps from its base in Custume Barracks, Athlone. This service conducted 368 missions in 2024. Galway is also served by a Pathfinder service. Pathfinder is a care pathway that involves NAS and allied health professionals working together to respond and treat older people in their homes as well as providing the appropriate supports and follow-up care in order that the patient does not need to be transported to a busy emergency department to receive care. The site the Deputies refer to in Recess in Connemara was previously a health centre and is currently derelict. It is the intention of the HSE to refurbish this existing derelict health centre to provide a stand-alone ambulance base. Planning permission has been secured and the design team is finalising the detailed design, including fire and disability access certificates, with a view to having a stage 2C report submitted to the HSE local estates office for review in the coming weeks. Approval will then be sought to proceed to issue tender documents. My Department is working closely with NAS on finalising a new strategic plan that will be formally submitted to the Department in due course. The Deputies have raised a good number of points. I am a believer in process. I have given an update on the process as it stands but I want to follow up through the Minister for Health about getting the tender and getting it built. That gives the Deputies an update about where it is at this time. I can come back to the Deputies once they have made additional presentations.

Sentiment score: 0.20

The update we have been given is that planning permission has been secured, which the Deputies already know. The design team is finalising a detailed design, including a fire safety certificate and a disability access certificate with a view to having a stage 2C report submitted to HSE local estates review in the coming weeks. Approval will be sought to proceed to issue tender documents. There were two specific questions. Deputies have been told the stage 2C report support will be submitted to HSE local estates for review in the coming weeks and asked when that will happen. Following on from that, I referred to the approval process. More particularly, there were questions about when this will go out to tender and get to a point where the appointment of the contractor takes place, with construction under way. I will revert to the Minister for Health, under whom this falls, to get responses to those specific points. The process is under way. The TDs for the area and for Galway want replies on those specific points. If they wish to submit a collective submission to the Minister and Department, we can also follow up on that. Perhaps they might take a joint approach. Deputy John Connolly referred to the barracks in Athlone. We will follow up on that too if he drops a note to the Department and the Minister. I want to be in some way constructive and assist the Deputies in a practical way.

Sentiment score: 0.16

I thank Deputy Timmins for raising this in his role as TD for Wicklow. Under Housing for All, the Government has committed to delivering 47,600 new-build social homes and 3,500 social homes through long-term leasing in the period 2022 to 2026. Our clear focus is to increase the stock of social housing through new-build projects delivered by local authorities and approved housing bodies, AHBs. The number of new-build social homes in the pipeline continues to remain strong year on year, with new construction projects getting under way regularly. The strongest national delivery of social housing since 1975 was recorded in 2023, when 11,939 new social homes were delivered by local authorities and AHBs, including 8,110 new-build homes, 1,829 acquisitions and 1,999 homes through leasing programmes. Altogether, between 2020 and 2023, some 39,185 social homes were delivered across build, acquisition and lease. The figures for 2024 are being finalised. On a quarterly basis, the Department publishes the social housing construction status report, which provides details of social housing developments and their location that have been completed, are under construction or are progressing through the various stages of the design and tender processes. The most recent publication was for quarter 3 of 2024, while that for quarter 4 will be published shortly. Recent years have witnessed significant demographic changes. The Government has acknowledged these evolving circumstances and is actively revising targets to reflect updated census information, market analysis and economic forecasting, to which the Deputy referred, in the context of the national planning framework. Under Housing for All, last year, the Government approved new national housing targets up to the year 2030. The aim is to deliver 303,000 homes in the period 2025 to 2030, equating to an annual average of 50,500 homes and building to 60,000 in 2030. The revised targets were informed by research and modelling by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, on population projections and long-run housing demand. The revised national housing targets will inform the revision to existing social and affordable housing targets at a local authority level. Following the publication of the revised national planning framework, which was brought to Cabinet this morning and approved by the Government, work will be undertaken to translate these revised national targets into specific local authority housing requirements for planning purposes and social and affordable targets will also be progressed at this stage. Once finalised, local authorities will integrate these revised targets into their respective housing strategies and development plans, ensuring they accurately reflect local needs and facilitate adequate land zoning and infrastructure planning. This process will be supported by explicit policy guidance and methodology provided by the Department to ensure consistency, transparency and effective implementation across all local authorities. The Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Minister of State, Deputy Cummins, want this done as speedily as possible. Directions will be issued to local authorities in this regard. Revised national level targets and local authority tenure-specific targets will be agreed in the context of the new national housing plan later in the year. It is essential that local authorities' targets align with their needs and ensure balanced regional development. The housing need and demand assessment, HNDA, and the summary of social housing assessment, SSHA, are the key tools in determining these targets. The HNDA provides evidence-based insights into housing needs across all tenures, analysing demographic trends, affordability data and housing stock pressures. This framework allows local authorities to make informed decisions about future housing requirements. Details of local authority and AHB delivery are set out in the housing delivery action plans prepared by each local authority. These plans have been published on each local authority's website. The specific point the Deputy was making was in the context of the national planning framework and how that can filter down and be effective on the ground. The Deputy raised a specific point about local development plans and local area plans. I will let him come back in and then I will respond.

Sentiment score: 0.22

The Deputy made practical points and suggestions. I suggest that he follow up on his detailed proposals directly with the Minister, Deputy James Browne, and Minister of State, Deputy Cummins. In my own role in the Department, I am over housing for the elderly in the context of local authorities. I will respond to the Deputy's point about An Bord Pleanála. Under the new Planning and Development Act, An Bord Pleanála will have to meet statutory deadlines for the first time ever. That was not the case up to now, the Deputy is correct. It will make an enormous difference. The Deputy raised other points. The Department will be monitoring. The Deputy is calling for additional points on top of that, for example, a correlation between infrastructure and housing. The Deputy has other moves he would like to see in terms of planning permissions. In the context of the Planning and Development Act, there are changes in terms of applying for extension of planning permissions. That will be facilitated. The Deputy made specific points. I thank Deputy Timmins for raising these important matters. We are fully committed to delivering social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale. This is demonstrated by the record level of investment that is being provided for the delivery of housing in 2025. The overall capital funding now available is almost €6.8 billion, with a further €1.6 billion in current funding to address need. The revised targets and annual profile align with the draft revision of the national planning framework, which provides for approximately 50,000 homes per annum. The target will take account of new homes and pent-up demand. Now that the revision of the national planning framework has been agreed and published, and noting that it will require approval of the Houses of the Oireachtas, work will commence in terms of working with local authorities and revising their plans in line with the new national planning framework. It is important to mention that the programme for Government includes a commitment to deliver an average of 12,000 new social homes per year for the lifetime of the Government. We will also engage with local authorities on the individual targets as the work I have outlined today progresses.

Sentiment score: 0.12