I move:

Tuesday's business shall be:

- Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023 (without debate)

- Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of Regulation (EU) 2021/2303 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 on the European Union Agency for Asylum and repealing Regulation (EU) No. 439/2010 (without debate)

- Motion re Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use (to conclude within 110 mins)

Private members' business shall be the Motion re Housing and Evictions, selected by Sinn Féin.

Wednesday’s business shall be:

- Motion re Presentation of Further Revised Estimates [Votes 16, 23 and 34] for Public Services 2023 (without debate)

- Motion re Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions (without debate)

- Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 (Second Stage) (if not previously concluded, to be interrupted either at 4 p.m. or after 1 hr 10 mins, whichever is the later)

- Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022 (Amendments from the Seanad) (to be taken no earlier than 4 p.m. and to conclude within 30 mins)

- Oil Emergency Contingency and Transfer of Renewable Transport Fuels Functions Bill 2023 (Amendments from the Seanad) (to conclude within 30 mins)

- Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022 (Report Stage, Amendment No. 27, resumed, and Final Stage) (if not previously concluded, to adjourn at 8.30 p.m.)

- Motion re Extension of the Temporary Business Energy Support Scheme (to conclude within 45 mins)

- Financial Motions [Nos. 1 to 3] by the Minister for Finance (to conclude within 90 mins)

Thursday’s business shall be:

- Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the National Archives Act 1986 (Section 1(2)(d)) Order 2023 (to conclude within 55 mins)

- Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 (Second Stage, resumed, if not previously concluded)

Thursday evening business shall be Second Stage of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021, sponsored by Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne.

Announcement of proposed arrangements for this week's business:

In relation to Tuesday’s business, it is proposed that:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the extent that private members' business may be taken earlier than 6.12 p.m. and shall, in any event, be taken on the conclusion of Government business, with consequential effect on the commencement time for Parliamentary Questions to the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media and topical issues, and on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil;

2. the Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 (Section 4(2)) (Scheme Termination Date) Order 2023 shall be taken without debate;

3. the Motion re Referral to Joint Committee of proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of Regulation (EU) 2021/2303 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 on the European Union Agency for Asylum and repealing Regulation (EU) No. 439/2010 shall be taken without debate; and

4. the Motion re Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 110 minutes, with arrangements in accordance with those agreed by Order of the Dáil of 30th July, 2020, for 100 minutes, following which a Minister or Minister of State shall be called upon to make a speech in reply which shall not exceed 10 minutes, and members may share time.

In relation to Wednesday’s business:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the following extent:

(i) the Dáil shall sit later than 9.30 p.m.; and

(ii) the weekly division time shall be taken on the conclusion of proceedings on the Financial Motions [Nos. 1 to 3] by the Minister for Finance;

2. the Motion re Presentation of Further Revised Estimates [Votes 16, 23 and 34] for Public Services 2023 shall be taken without debate;

3. the Motion re Ministerial Rota for Parliamentary Questions shall be taken without debate;

4. the proceedings on the second reading motion on the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned at either 4 p.m. or after 1 hour and 10 minutes, whichever is the later;

5. the proceedings on the amendments from the Seanad to the Communications Regulation and Digital Hub Development Agency (Amendment) Bill 2022 shall be taken no earlier than 4 p.m. and shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 30 minutes and any amendments from the Seanad not disposed of shall be decided by one question which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments to the Seanad amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications;

6. the proceedings on the amendments from the Seanad to the Oil Emergency Contingency and Transfer of Renewable Transport Fuels Functions Bill 2023 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 30 minutes and any amendments from the Seanad not disposed of shall be decided by one question which shall be put from the Chair, and which shall, in relation to amendments to the Seanad amendments, include only those set down or accepted by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications; and

7. the proceedings on the resumed Report Stage and Final Stage of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme Bill 2022 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned at 8.30 p.m.;

8. the Motion re Temporary Business Energy support Scheme shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 45 minutes, and the following arrangements shall apply:

(i) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

- opening speech by a Minister – 5 minutes;

- speeches by representatives of Sinn Féin, the Labour Party, Social Democrats, People Before Profit-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group - 5 minutes per party or group; and

- a speech in response by the Minister – 5 minutes;

(ii) members may share time; and

(iii) any division claimed on the proceedings shall be taken immediately; and

9. in relation to the Financial Motions by the Minister for Finance, the following arrangements shall apply:

(i) the Financial Motions shall be grouped together for the purposes of debate;

(ii) the proceedings thereon shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 90 minutes by one question in respect of each motion which shall also dispose of any amendments to the motion and which shall be put from the Chair; and

(iii) any divisions demanded shall be taken immediately.

In relation to Thursday’s business:

1. the ordinary routine of business as contained in Schedule 3 to Standing Orders shall be modified to the extent that topical issues shall be taken at either 5.15 p.m., or on the conclusion of Government business, whichever is the earlier, with consequential effect on the commencement time for Second Stage of the Equality (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021 and on the time for the adjournment of the Dáil;

2. the Motion re Proposed approval by Dáil Éireann of the National Archives Act 1986 (Section 1(2)(d)) Order 2023 shall, if not previously concluded, be brought to a conclusion after 55 minutes, and the following arrangements shall apply:

(i) the order of speaking and allocation of time shall be as follows:

- opening speech by a Minister or Minister of State - 10 minutes;

- speech by representative of Sinn Féin - 10 minutes;

- speeches by representatives of the Labour Party, Social Democrats, People Before Profit-Solidarity, the Regional Group, the Rural Independent Group and the Independent Group - 5 minutes per party or group; and

- a speech in response by a Minister or Minister of State - 5 minutes; and

(ii) members may share time; and

3. the resumed proceedings on the second reading motion of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Bill 2023 shall, if not previously concluded, be interrupted and stand adjourned at 5.15 p.m.

Are the arrangements for the week's business agreed to?

They are not agreed. We saw another attack last night on the Garda Síochána. One officer has been hospitalised and we wish that officer a speedy recovery. It is now very clear we do not have the Garda resource required throughout the State to keep communities and citizens safe. I would go so far as to say that, increasingly, people feel very unsafe in their homes, on their streets and in their communities. Today, Brendan O'Connor, the head of the Garda Representative Association, GRA, said that, as it is, there simply are not enough gardaí policing our streets 24-7. They do not have the necessary equipment and the force is facing an exodus of officers, demoralised by the entire situation. This situation cannot stand. I ask that the Minister for Justice present himself with an active plan, including a timeline and timeframe to address this situation.

As homelessness figures continue to break records, we know many people are entering homelessness from the private rental sector. It is nearly two weeks since the Dáil debated a Labour Party Private Members' motion putting forward eight constructive measures to alleviate the worst effects of the housing crisis, including the extension of the eviction ban. The Government voted against our motion then and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage did not even attend the debate. There is a second Private Members' motion on the same issue to be debated tonight and a third tomorrow. I hope the Minister will find the time to attend those. With this concerted approach being taken by the Opposition, will the Government hear our calls and agree to bring forward legislation to extend the eviction ban temporarily, as we are seeking, and introduce the other measures so urgently needed to alleviate the housing crisis?

The big hoteliers will be popping the champagne corks tonight and no doubt toasting the Minister for Finance, Deputy McGrath. Meanwhile, ordinary householders will be forced to work out which items they will now have to drop from the weekly shop. A €225 million gift for the hospitality industry and a bimonthly €200 electricity credit cut for the others. At the same time, prices are rising. We need a full debate on this. There will be a vigorous debate when these issues come before the House.

While we welcome the reports announced today in many cases, we need more time for debate. We are also concerned about excise duties, which had been reduced, on diesel, petrol, home heating oil and gasoline. They will be phased out gradually by October, as I understand from what I saw in the proposal. This is unheard of at a time when there are record profits out of the litre of petrol, diesel, agri-diesel, home heating oil, and across the board. The Government is trying to implement a green agenda by forcing exorbitant prices on people. That is going to affect the price of every piece of bread, butter, jam, ham or whatever you want if diesel goes up again in price, which the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan, wants. He has won out in this case, obviously. We need more time to debate this issue tomorrow than what we have and we need those supports to be maintained as well for the hard-pressed motorists, hauliers, agricultural people and everybody across the whole sector.

In the first place, they only took 2 cent off agricultural diesel.

For clarity, the lower rate of VAT on hospitality, energy and gas and the lower rates of excise on petrol, diesel and green diesel are due to go back up fully in eight days' time. We have taken a decision as a Government not to do that and not even to begin unwinding it until June, which is what Members will be asked to vote on. They need to be unwound at some point. They were not factored into the budget but we have enough finance to extend them for some more months.

We intend to do this. That is the proposal being put and there is adequate time to discuss it. If that vote is defeated, they will go back up overnight on 28 February. I hope the Members opposite will vote with us now that there can be no doubt about what the vote is about.

The Government will make a decision on the eviction ban in the next two to three weeks. We will have to give it careful consideration. When we introduced it in November, we had hoped it would have the same effect as it had during the pandemic and we would see the number of people in emergency accommodation go down. This has not happened. We have to face up to the fact that it has not had the desired effect and we are still seeing people entering homelessness for many different reasons, including family breakdown and losing a place in the private rental sector. It has also had some unintended consequences. We have probably all come across people coming home from abroad and back from Australia, Dubai and other places who cannot move back into their own house or apartment. This is also an issue. We must weigh up the pros and cons of a further extension.

I join all Members of the House in condemning unreservedly the attack that occurred on a member of An Garda Síochána in west Dublin. There is no excuse for it. It is disgraceful to see any member of An Garda Síochána, the people who protect us and keep our streets safe, coming under attack in this way. We wish the garda a speedy recovery. We are investing in more gardaí. We provided funding for an additional 1,000 recruits this year. Recruits enter Templemore every 11 weeks now, and the total number who completed or began training last year was almost 500. I take confidence in knowing that a further recruitment campaign will be launched in the coming months. This will ensure a pipeline of suitable candidates.

Are the proposed arrangements for this week's business agreed to? Agreed. We will now deal with questions on policy or promised legislation and I call Deputy McDonald.