We are out of time now because there was not co-operation at the beginning. Theoretically, I should cut off this list. There are four speakers left. With the Taoiseach’s co-operation, I will allow the four Deputies 30 seconds each and then all the questions can be answered together.

A welcome provision in the budget was the introduction of a €1,000 State financial support towards student fees. It is a once-off payment. Unfortunately, it is not applicable to students studying in Northern Ireland, Britain or outside our State. That is wrong. We have to encourage students to travel to study on a cross-Border basis. That should be revisited.

There is also a welcome introduction of the rental tax credit of €500 to parents of third level students paying their child’s rent in a tenancy that is registered with the Residential Tenancies Board. That must be also applicable to students who are renting in registered accommodation outside our State.

The Taoiseach said that councils should buy properties in circumstances where people are in HAP or RAS tenancies and are faced with eviction. Does that include those on rent supplement? Is it actually going to happen? I ask that because on Monday I sat with a woman, Stephanie, in Springfield in Tallaght. She has four children and is studying psychology in college. She had been given a notice quit and was forced to overhold because there was nowhere she could go. The homeless placement service told her that it did not even have emergency accommodation and it would have to give her a tent for her and her four children. Thankfully, the landlord was co-operative and did not force her to leave. However, the landlord wants to sell. We are hearing from the council that there is a long list and a long process, etc.

There is an absolute chronic shortage of home care workers. We have a complete crisis in the delivery of home care. When the Taoiseach says that there are 20.4 million hours – a 17% increase – it means nothing to the man in his 90s who has been approved for two home help visits a day but cannot get them. He has been unable to leave hospital since 25 September. Another man in his 80s has been unable to leave hospital since August. Is there ever an evaluation done of the policies? This was a Fianna Fáil policy, as the Taoiseach knows, in 2008 and 2009, to destroy home care in the way that it did. What are we doing to fix it? I have a thick file on what happened in 2008 and 2009 in home care.

Yesterday, I listened to the Oireachtas Committee on Health with keen interest and quite a sense of disappointment when the members discussed the fact that every year 15,000 women in this State suffer with perinatal mental health issues. It is something that affects pretty much every family in this State and it is certainly something I am very familiar with. Bluntly, is the State serious about providing the necessary supports and conditions to help the very many families affected by this?

On the last question, that is a core part of the women’s health plan. Very significant progress has been made on women’s health over the past two years in particular. The Minister has given particular focus to that on a number of fronts.

On Deputy Brendan Smith’s point, first, I understand he has very strong concerns as a Border Deputy. He understands full well the implications. There could be complications around that, but I will have the matter examined in terms of what possibly can be done to support students. However, there are complications. I will have the matter examined.

I am not quite clear on the council’s response to Deputy Paul Murphy. Is the council willing to buy it or is it not? Has it made any effort to buy in that particular case? I do not know in that respect. On the broader issue of rent supplement, the Minister is basically telling local authorities to use their discretion and purchase houses where they can to avoid homelessness.

On the home care issue, Deputy Conway-Walsh said that the 20.4 million hours mean nothing to a particular individual. It means an awful lot to many individuals. We always need balance in our public commentary. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has succeeded in securing very substantial resources for home care in this country. The waiting lists have come down significantly. The service has expanded to such an extent that we have challenges in getting personnel now because it expanded so quickly. That needs to be acknowledged also.