There are three Deputies offering. I will take 30 second questions from each of them.

There are more than 4,500 people on the housing waiting list in County Louth. The Rebuilding Ireland targets are to deliver just 1,074 homes between now and 2021. That leaves a shortfall of more than 75% without even taking into account those families who will come onto the housing list between now and 2021. Despite the Government's protestations, Rebuilding Ireland is clearly not working because the figures are there to prove that. Does the Tánaiste accept that only the roll-out of a policy to provide public housing on public lands with public finances will solve this crisis?

I wish to raise a separate issue.

I know that.

My question relates to page 3 of the programme for Government, which relates to reducing waiting lists in emergency departments to less than six hours. I wish to raise that in the context of Portlaoise hospital. A consultation process was announced for the hospital at the end of 2017. When we met the Minister for Health he said there would be a consultation process with local stakeholders, which he promised would be speedy but the process has not started yet. At the time I asked if it would be used to just to kick the can down the road and 16 months later that is exactly what has happened. I asked the Minister numerous times in this Chamber when the consultation process would start and I was told before Christmas that a facilitator would be appointed soon. Then, hey presto, I got an answer this morning from the Minister which said consideration is being given to appointing an independent external facilitator for the consultation process.

Does the Deputy have a question?

This is a step backwards.

Does the Deputy have a question?

This is causing major uncertainty about the emergency department in Portlaoise hospital.

Does the Deputy have a question?

It is causing problems for the recruitment of staff because the hospital is over dependent on temporary staff.

Does the Deputy have a question?

The issue is going around in circles.

Deputy Stanley is going around in circles.

When will the consultation process on Portlaoise hospital start?

Will the Deputy resume his seat?

When will the facilitator for the consultation process be put in place?

In the programme for Government a commitment was made that within the first three months an application would be made by the Government to the EU for the western arc to be included in TEN-T funding. The commitment has not been honoured by the Government. I do not know where the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport has gone but he does not seem to realise that with Brexit going on it is now more important than ever for counties along the west coast, from Donegal down, to be included in core TEN-T funding. Will the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade take an interest in the matter and get it delivered, in conjunction with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport because he does not seem to have an interest in it?

I will give three fairly concise answers. First, in response to Deputy Munster, her party, along with other parties on the all-party committee that was set up to look at housing and social housing, set targets with which Rebuilding Ireland is consistent, in terms of delivering an extra 50,000 social housing units.

The targets are not working.

That is because this is a five-year strategy. It will not work in year one or year two on its own. One can only measure the delivery of social housing on the basis of increasing output over a five-year period, which is exactly what is happening.

The Tánaiste is eight years in government.

We are meeting the figures to which Deputy Munster's party signed up in the context of the original Rebuilding Ireland document and the all-party committee. In fact, the figures from the point of view of Rebuilding Ireland have been upgraded since then to 50,000 from approximately 47,000 extra social housing units.

I will get the Minister to respond directly to Deputy Stanley. I will raise the issue with him and outline the frustrations expressed by the Deputy today.

In relation to TEN-T funding, I do not think the Government could be accused of not investing in transport infrastructure in the west given some of the recent announcements in terms of road developments there. I will raise the question Deputy Fitzmaurice asked about TEN-T funding with the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Ross, and ask him where that specific issue is at, and the qualification criteria.