Latest news with #PearseDoherty
BreakingNews.ie
5 days ago
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
Water and electricity supply issues ‘strangling housing delivery', Dáil told
The Government has been accused of 'failing' on basic public services such as water and electricity supplies, which is 'strangling' housing delivery. Sinn Féin's finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty told the Dáil the head of water utility Uisce Éireann had said all households in Dublin face water shortages in the next five years due to the Government's 'failure to invest properly in our creaking water network'. Advertisement He also mentioned a warning by the secretary general of the Energy Department that housing delivery is at risk because of electricity supply shortages. 'What we're talking about here, in simple terms, is we're talking about the ability of your Government to ensure the very basics: water, electricity connections, houses. The most basic needs in any society. 'And people are going to be scratching their heads, because this state has record surpluses, so money is not the problem. 'So the problem must be the incompetence and bad decisions made over and over and over again. A Government that can't plan and can't get the job done when it comes to critical infrastructure, and this is strangling housing delivery.' Advertisement He said a TikTok video in which Tánaiste Simon Harris said there was a housing emergency had 'raised some eyebrows'. 'The reality is, after over a decade of you as minister and Fine Gael in government for nearly a decade and a half, we have serious basic issues of water and electricity that is putting the most basic right – a roof over your head – in jeopardy.' Mr Harris said multibillion-euro surpluses accrued by the Irish state over recent years were a result of how Fine Gael and Fianna Fail had managed the economy and would mean 'a hell of a lot more money' could be spent 'on water, on energy, on housing'. 'These things don't happen by accident,' he said. Advertisement He said the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael government had overseen 'a significant uplift' on housing but it had since 'stalled or reached a plateau'. Simon Harris (David Young/PA) 'We've seen more than 133,000 new-build homes delivered between 2020 and 2024, and 92,500 of those homes were delivered just between 2022 and 2024 – up nearly 50% on the previous three years. 'We are going to, between now and the month of July, work on a housing plan. Not a glossy document – a targeted list of actions that we can take in relation to water, in relation to energy, in relation to planning, that will get us to 300,000 homes. 'I can assure you, we have the money, we have the capital to make this happen. What we now need is the political support across this house and in the communities to drive on delivery. Advertisement 'And I hope you'll support the establishment of a housing activation office that's going to do exactly what you say: bring in people from Irish Water, bring in people from the local authorities, put them in an office working together to break down those silos so we deliver the homes for our people.' He accused Mr Doherty's party of having 'politicised the issue of water' and said additional funding to Uisce Eireann would solve water infrastructure issues. 'It's hard to take a lecture from you in relation to water, after you politicised the issue of water so much to try and stymie progress in recent years, and you continue to mislead people about the Government's intention in relation to Irish Water. 'If we can provide them with significant additional capital funding over the summer period, with the review of the National Development Plan, they will be able to – I'm sure you'll be delighted to know – provide enough water infrastructure to deliver and enable the delivery of the homes we need.' Advertisement
RTÉ News
5 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Shortage of military air traffic controllers see hours cut, Dáil told
Contingency plans are being put in place to deal with a shortage of military air traffic controllers, Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has told the Dáil. Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said that air traffic control at Baldonnel airport is moving to five-days per week as they are short personnel. He said that Baldonnel Air Corps manages military helicopter and fixed wing aircraft as well as garda aircraft. Mr Doherty said gardaí are looking for alternatives because responding to crime was not a five-day-a-week job. He added that there were also concerns that these shortages would lead to cutbacks in essential support for the coastguard. He added that if any more personnel are lost, operations could wind up completely. The Irish Times reported that that Irish military flight operations are to move to part-time hours at the Air Corps headquarters and may soon have to cease operations. The Tánaiste defended the level of funding for the Defence Forces saying that it has risen significantly and was up 30% since 2020. However, he acknowledged that there were pinch points in parts of the Defence Forces in relation to particular skills and retention of air traffic controllers. He said contingency planning would be put in place and work was underway to ensure continuation of services.
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Business
- RTÉ News
Dáil due to vote on Sinn Féin's Israeli bonds bill
TDs are due to vote on a Sinn Féin bill which seeks to prevent the Central Bank from having any involvement with Israeli bonds. The Government has indicated it will oppose the proposal, in part, for legal reasons. Last night, a debate on the matter was interrupted after around 40 people were removed from the public gallery. Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe told the Dáil last night that the Government could not support the Sinn Féin legislation as he had been advised such a measure would be inconsistent with EU law and therefore subject to legal challenge. He said Opposition deputies had claimed the Central Bank was trading, selling and dealing in Israeli bonds, but the regulator's sole function was a technical assessment on the bond prospectus. When he took his seat, several visitors in the public gallery shouted "shame" and "disgrace" at him, while others sang "free free Palestine". After they were ejected, the Sinn Féin bill was supported by Labour, the Social Democrats and some Independent TDs. In his closing remarks, Sinn Féin's finance spokesperson Pearse Doherty said legal advice from The Oireachtas Office of Parliamentary Legal Advisers indicated the bill was compliant with the Constitution, EU law and international law. He contended the bill would prevent the Central Bank from approving the bond prospectus and Israel would therefore be obliged to apply to another EU member state to conduct such business. Mr Doherty strongly criticised the Coalition for not allowing the bill to go to committee stage.
Dublin Live
23-05-2025
- Business
- Dublin Live
'Crazy' that National Children's Hospital deadline has been missed 15 times, Dail hears
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info It is 'crazy' that the deadline for the National Children's Hospital to open has been missed 15 times, the Dail has been told. The Public Accounts Committee heard on Thursday that in the past seven months, developer BAM had achieved around 60% of its planned progress. This has moved the completion deadline from June to September 30 – the 15th time the substantial completion date has been extended, according to the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board. Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty told the Dail the hospital had become 'an epic saga' which has ballooned from a cost of 650 million euro to 2.2 billion euro. 'The deadline for opening this hospital has been missed 15 times – 15 times. Like that's crazy. Crazy,' he told Tanaiste Simon Harris during Leaders' Questions. 'You've broken your election promise when you said it would be delivered in June. Do you really expect the public to have any greater faith in this date compared to any one of the other 15 dates that you and your Government ministers have announced?' He accused Mr Harris, a former health minister, of signing off on a contract to build the hospital that was 'skewed in favour of the construction company'. 'It was build-as-you-go, and that is why BAM has the state over the barrel for the last eight years. Now your Government is blaming the construction company. It's not a surprise to anybody on this side that developers are going to squeeze as much profit out as they can. But competent ministers… are supposed to protect the public purse,' he said. Mr Harris said the hospital was 'well over 95% complete' and technical commissioning was under way. He accused Sinn Fein of hypocrisy and said a children's hospital to be built in Belfast would cost more per square metre than Dublin 's, citing the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO). 'The First Minister of Northern Ireland, who's your party's vice president, said she was 'delighted that £671 million would be spent on a state-of-an-art children's hospital at Belfast Royal Victoria Hospital. Ladies and gentlemen, who was that contract with? Does anyone know? BAM, the same developer who's building the hospital in this jurisdiction.' He said BAM had since pulled out of the project, which had delayed it. 'They (the PBO) have looked at the hospital Sinn Fein are presiding over the north, the hospital we're presiding over here with BAM, and they found yours is more expensive than the one we're delivering. So get over yourself with the absolute hypocrisy.' He said the hospital has 22 operating theatres, 6,150 rooms with spaces for parents to stay with their child, and a helipad. 'We know it's a hospital that costs more than originally intended, that is true. 'And yes, you know – because you've been covering finance for a hell of a long time for your party – you know that we've changed significantly the approach we take to the delivery of infrastructure.' Aontu leader Peadar Toibin said no one was questioning the quality of the hospital. He said the additional 1.5 billion euro it has cost to build has 'come from the pockets of hard-working Irish citizens and taxpayers'. 'It's not a victimless crime as well. The opportunity cost of that 1.5 billion euros would have actually paid for over 4,500 homes in this country. It would have housed up to 18,000 people, more than the number of people who are currently homeless. 'But Tanaiste, you are the blame-shifting expert in this country. Simon 'it wasn't me' Harris.' He raised previous quotes from Mr Harris that he was not responsible for signing the contract that underpinned the construction of the Dublin hospital. 'This contract lacks an enormous amount of detail within it, which has allowed it to become a blank cheque for the contractor, it is designed to fail from the start,' Mr Toibin said. He added that 'inertia, waste and blame-shifting are the characteristics of this Government'. Mr Harris said he was responsible for bringing the proposal to Cabinet and recommending they proceed, and would be responsible for 'a world-class facility' and 'transforming children's healthcare'. 'Nobody gets everything right in politics and a lot of lessons have been learned,' he said. Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
BreakingNews.ie
22-05-2025
- Business
- BreakingNews.ie
‘Crazy' that Children's Hospital deadline has been missed 15 times, Dáil hears
It is 'crazy' that the deadline for the National Children's Hospital to open has been missed 15 times, the Dáil has been told. The Public Accounts Committee heard on Thursday that in the past seven months, developer BAM had achieved around 60 per cent of its planned progress. Advertisement This has moved the completion deadline from June to September 30th – the 15th time the substantial completion date has been extended, according to the National Paediatric Hospital Development Board. Sinn Féin finance spokesman Pearse Doherty told the Dáil the hospital had become 'an epic saga' which has ballooned from a cost of €650 million to €2.2 billion. 'The deadline for opening this hospital has been missed 15 times – 15 times. Like that's crazy. Crazy,' he told Tánaiste Simon Harris during Leaders' Questions. 'You've broken your election promise when you said it would be delivered in June. Advertisement 'Do you really expect the public to have any greater faith in this date compared to any one of the other 15 dates that you and your Government ministers have announced?' He accused Mr Harris, a former health minister, of signing off on a contract to build the hospital that was 'skewed in favour of the construction company'. 'It was build-as-you-go, and that is why BAM has the state over the barrel for the last eight years.' Sinn Féin's Pearse Doherty. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA 'Now your Government is blaming the construction company. It's not a surprise to anybody on this side that developers are going to squeeze as much profit out as they can. But competent ministers… are supposed to protect the public purse,' he said. Advertisement Mr Harris said the hospital was 'well over 95 per cent complete' and technical commissioning was under way. He accused Sinn Fein of hypocrisy and said a children's hospital to be built in Belfast would cost more per square metre than Dublin's, citing the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO). 'The First Minister of Northern Ireland, who's your party's vice president, said she was 'delighted that £671 million would be spent on a state-of-an-art children's hospital at Belfast Royal Victoria Hospital. 'Ladies and gentlemen, who was that contract with? Does anyone know? BAM, the same developer who's building the hospital in this jurisdiction.' Advertisement He said BAM had since pulled out of the project, which had delayed it. 'They (the PBO) have looked at the hospital Sinn Fáin are presiding over the north, the hospital we're presiding over here with BAM, and they found yours is more expensive than the one we're delivering. So get over yourself with the absolute hypocrisy.' He said the hospital has 22 operating theatres, 6,150 rooms with spaces for parents to stay with their child, and a helipad. 'We know it's a hospital that costs more than originally intended, that is true. Advertisement 'And yes, you know – because you've been covering finance for a hell of a long time for your party – you know that we've changed significantly the approach we take to the delivery of infrastructure.' Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said no one was questioning the quality of the hospital. He said the additional €1.5 billion it has cost to build has 'come from the pockets of hard-working Irish citizens and taxpayers'. 'It's not a victimless crime as well. The opportunity cost of that €1.5 billion would have actually paid for over 4,500 homes in this country. It would have housed up to 18,000 people, more than the number of people who are currently homeless. 'But Tánaiste, you are the blame-shifting expert in this country. Simon 'it wasn't me' Harris.' He raised previous quotes from Mr Harris that he was not responsible for signing the contract that underpinned the construction of the Dublin hospital. 'This contract lacks an enormous amount of detail within it, which has allowed it to become a blank cheque for the contractor, it is designed to fail from the start,' Mr Toibin said. Ireland National Children's Hospital bill tops €2.2bn and... Read More He added that 'inertia, waste and blame-shifting are the characteristics of this Government'. Mr Harris said he was responsible for bringing the proposal to Cabinet and recommending they proceed, and would be responsible for 'a world-class facility' and 'transforming children's healthcare'. 'Nobody gets everything right in politics and a lot of lessons have been learned,' he said.
