Is this on the Order of Business?
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A proper debate.
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I turn first to agrifood. There are 135 minutes allocated. We will extend it, if necessary, into next week. There is an issue with the availability of the Minister. It is a serious issue. That is accepted. In terms of the Housing Commission, it seems that the Deputies opposite are opposed to a lot of what is in the Housing Commission.
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When I reference one area of it, I get attacked. I have no issue with a debate on the Housing Commission.
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We have had a debate every week. I will make a general point as we are looking at Standing Orders and so on.
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I want to make a general point as we are looking at Standing Orders and so on.
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In terms of the Order of Business, the time of the Dáil is about Government time and Opposition time. There is nothing wrong with the Opposition, in Opposition time, discussing any of the issues raised.
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The Housing Commission could have been raised in Private Members' time, or the children’s hospital or any other issue you believe should be raised.
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I do not think any other parliament in Europe has as much time devoted to Opposition as this Parliament does. That is a fact. I agree we should get the Oireachtas committees established as quickly as we possibly can. I agree with the Deputy who raised that issue. I have no issue with that. However, Government time has to be ring-fenced as well to get legislation and decisions through. There will be time for Opposition, but we cannot have it that there can be Private Members’ and Opposition time and then Deputies say they want more of Government time to discuss other things they want to discuss. There will be a division between Government and Opposition times-----
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-----as is normal and natural for any Dáil and that is our view. On the issue raised by Deputy Mac Lochlainn, I have been consistent throughout this Dáil and the last, in terms of accountability in this House. The Executive is accountable to the House. I do not believe Ministers are accountable for the behaviour or whatever issues pertain to any individual of the other House, in this House. I do not think it is allowed under Standing Orders.
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I think if you go back you will find I did not get engaged. I did not engage. Does that make sense?
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I did not engage, Deputy.
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I have discussed housing extensively in the past 20 minutes, given absolute clarity and identified the need to bring in private sector investment. I have identified the need to look seriously at brownfield sites in particular.
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Nothing is ruled out in respect of brownfield sites, as far as I am concerned, in particular in the cities. That said, we will also look at other initiatives to incentivise private sector investment, particularly in apartment building and, again, in cities and large towns. That is where there is a challenge. The €450 million is additional. It will build houses and units that are not built now. Nothing could be clearer than that.
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Equally, in terms of the other initiatives we decided on yesterday, which I have elaborated on, the strategic housing office established and the national-----
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Like the Deputy, I express my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Quham Babatunde on his shocking death on the streets of Dublin this weekend. We think of all the victims of crime recently in our city and in Stoneybatter. It is unacceptable. Significant additional resources are being put into high-visibility policing in Dublin city centre. More than half of the gardaí who attested last year were allocated to stations across Dublin. Since 2020, there has been a 40% increase in the number of Garda staff working across the DMR, freeing up gardaí for front-line duty. We will continue to resource the Garda in respect of facial recognition technology, body-worn cameras and additional gardaí on an ongoing basis.
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I referenced that in the earlier replies, though some took issue with it, when I said the level of violence in our society needs to be addressed. We believe in proactive measures. We believe in prevention. We need to deal with excess alcohol and drug use, which are factors in violence on our streets and definitely in some instances, though not all, a factor in the unrestricted level of terrible violence people visit upon others, sometimes absolutely without provocation.
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We need to look at the underlying issues giving rise to such violence on our streets because the Garda will never be at every scene every time. That starts right through our education system and the community in terms of creating an intolerant approach but also different strategies. I do not disagree with the Deputy.
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The Minister, Deputy Foley, has brought that issue and we anticipate it now will be dealt with in the context of the WRC. My understanding is the WRC suspended talks for the duration of the general election. My understanding is also, and my hope, those talks will resume very quickly with a view to getting a resolution of this issue and a just resolution of it. We will be focusing on that.
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I agree on increased resources toward services for children with additional needs. In respect of school there should be no excuse for an absence of any place for any child. It is a constitutional right and there is legislation that places an obligation on schools and on the State. We may need to strengthen that legislation if it is not being enacted. There has been a reluctance to enact it in some cases. We had a situation before where we had a clear pupil-teacher ratio for children with special needs and it was adhered to. That practice has waned in some areas in recent times, especially at post-primary level. That is not acceptable and I will be talking to a number of Ministers on this issue. The programme for Government 100% provides for the establishment of a national therapy service in education, which will be progressed.
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The Deputy is clearly in line with Standing Orders because that is what the Shandon clock was known as. I am very sympathetic to facilitating that request and will speak to the Minister about Shandon, which is one of Cork's greatest landmarks. It is refreshing to hear the words "biggest clock face", which are only appropriate given it is the city of Cork. We need to revisit the issue of Shandon Craft Centre. I will work with local groups. I think I will be dealing later with questions regarding a city task force and so on. We will certainly talk to the Minister and Department in question because that is an iconic location in the city of Cork. Cónal Creedon has written magically about it.
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I was mentioned once or twice in dispatches.
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In the context of the European Parliament - I did not see the exact motion by the way - we do not impose the same rigid discipline on public representatives generally that the Deputy's party might because they have to look at the broad range of issues. Motions can be long and they can be this and that. We are against the Mercosur deal on the basis that we have asked our farmers to reduce emissions by approximately 25%. We have probably one of the most carbon-efficient dairy and beef industries. There is a real issue, therefore, of us importing food produce that is less carbon-efficient or that is using a less carbon-efficient model. There is a broader trade issue, though. Ireland, ultimately, is in favour of free trade. That is why we want the Canadian free trade deal enacted because free trade can enable other companies to export to places where they increase jobs. These are never simplistic issues. On that basic issue, however, we are opposed to Mercosur.
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Developing areas have to be prioritised, as they have been for a number of years, because they are growing very fast and there is an inadequacy of provision. Special education is another area in which we must ensure extensions for autism classes or centres are fast-tracked, accelerated and provided in schools that are taking in children with additional needs. More proactivity is needed in changing school types and utilising existing resources and school buildings. There is a sense that may accelerate in the next couple of years. That is my sense of it, especially on the co-educational side.
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Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Teachta Callaghan. I congratulate her and her family and wish her the very best in her time in Dáil Éireann. In respect of the new disability unit, we have already had meetings and I have already identified to my officials that I want a disability unit which works with all Departments in respect of the broad issue of disability to make sure that, over the next while, both in the context of the next budget and specific issues such as education and access to therapies, we make quick, decisive moves to improve the situation for children and families in particular. That is the objective. It will take a whole-of-government approach, however, to co-ordinate across every single Department, from employment of people with disabilities to education, healthcare needs, access and transport, housing adaptation and much more.
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I am very aware of those attacks, as well as the violent events and incidents on the streets of Cork last summer. We need to recruit and allocate more gardaí to Cork city in particular. We intend to establish a city task force for the city centre area. More generally, there is a proactive plan ahead to increase the number of gardaí throughout the country which will enable us to deploy more to areas like Cork and elsewhere.
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As I said, these talks are going back to the WRC in the context of the last pay agreement. We are aiming to achieve pay parity. In the context of the earlier contribution to which I responded, we will be pursuing this as part of a wider range of issues in terms of disability more generally. This is part of it.
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I can confirm that I visited with Deputy McAuliffe at the time. We sought to unblock some funding and it is my understanding that it went through.
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I will certainly follow that up with the Minister. That is not acceptable that there is a 28-day delay. There should be cover for any tester who goes on leave. If there is no cover, the list will only grow. I will follow that up with the Minister.
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