Obviously, this is bad news for Ireland - there is no doubt about that. While the pharma sector seems to have been given a reprieve for the moment, which is a blessing, the secondary effect of tariffs internationally will be a dampening effect on the world economy. We are a small, open economy and will be very sensitive to that. That will have a significant effect on our tax take - both on corporate taxes and, potentially, a shrinking job market here in the future. The best thing for the European Union to do at the moment is to de-escalate the situation because an escalating tariff war does not suit Ireland. What real efforts is the Government making to negotiate directly with the US on this? I understand it is a European competency in many ways but we have a leverage in the US that many European countries do not have. What specific efforts are we involved in to try to put pressure on the United States to ensure pharma does not become part of the landing zone?
Sentiment score: 0.06
95. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform the total number of properties sold by the OPW in each of the past ten years; and the cost of each, in tabular form. [15633/25]
Sentiment score: 0.03
I might also mention the Midleton flood defences, which have been mooted since 2017. My understanding is that the planning application has still not been processed. It is a real life and death issue for the people of Midleton. Vacant property during a housing crisis is one of the biggest problems I have with this Government. This and the previous Governments are the biggest hoarders of vacant property in the State, believe it or not. Last month, the OPW wrote to me stating it had 67 vacant properties. What efforts are being made to get those vacant properties back into use or to sell them so they can be brought back into use?
Sentiment score: -0.20
I welcome the sales of those properties. That is a good thing, but the Minister of State must admit that on a day when 15,600 people are homeless, the idea that one Department would have 45 vacant properties is absolutely wrong. The OPW is involved in a total of 450 lease agreements which concern approximately 374 properties. We have seen the OPW lease property from Larry Goodman where someone measured it incorrectly and the taxpayer is paying rent for space that does not even exist, which is quite incredible. That was before the Minister of State's time in the Department. Having vacant properties in a housing crisis is akin to exporting food in the middle of a famine. It is absolutely wrong and what I missed in the Minister of State's response was any real sense of urgency to offload the 45 properties and make sure they were brought into use. It is not just the OPW. It involves many departments, including the HSE and the Departments of agriculture and Justice. Hundreds of properties and parcels of land owned by the State are vacant, many for decades.
Sentiment score: -0.02
Aontú put in freedom of information, FOI, requests to each of the local authorities and found there were 4,000 empty local authority homes in the country. If those 4,000 empty local authority homes were brought back into use, they would be enough to house the total 15,600 people who are currently homeless. We found that it is taking on average eight months to get those local authority homes back into use, while it takes less than two months to get private rental accommodation back into use. This is the key. While the Minister of State set out the criteria that have to be gone through to get those back into use, the State is incredibly cumbersome, slow and bureaucratic about getting them back into use. All I am saying is that we need to match urgency within the Department to the level of crisis that exists in the real world for very many people. We need the State to go through the system, make sure it is done properly and carefully and protect taxpayers' money, but I want the Minister of State to inject significant urgency into the process. For people who are currently living in hotel accommodation or emergency hubs, life is urgent. They need to get out of those hubs and into a home, have their own front door, have the protection of their own home and be able to get on with their lives.
Sentiment score: 0.04