The Leader will respond. Three speakers remain but I am not taking any more contributions. The Leader will respond. We have 12 minutes left. I cautioned the Members but nobody respects the Chair. I am sorry for those who did not get in.

I thank the 21 Members for their contributions and the Cathaoirleach. It is important that we as Members of this House reaffirm our respect and trust in the Cathaoirleach as an impartial chairman. His generosity is overstretched by Members at times, but I assure him of my support. He is a very fair man and is doing a good job.

Senators Daly, Gavan, Ó Ríordáin, Ruane, Craughwell, Wilson, Ó Céidigh and O'Donnell referred to the issues of housing and homelessness. It is a pity that Members cannot stay for the reply to the Order of Business. Some have to go to another place but they have a duty to stay. It is important that those who go on the platform or the stage that is the Chamber to perform to YouTube or the Gaiety also listen.

We must take the politics out of homelessness and the homelessness sector. No one of us has all of the information or knowledge.

Let me make matters quite clear to Members who have commented on the Fine Gael Party, in particular, and the Taoiseach. Nobody on our side of the House is in denial about the housing crisis and the human impact it is having on the lives of people and families. None of us is living in a bubble or cocoon. I would challenge Members to come into any of our clinics in any of our communities. We are working with people day and night to try to get them housed, out of hotels and treated as proper human beings. Members should not come in here and pretend they know everything when they do not.

We need to deal with the citizens of our republic who deserve to be treated with respect. As Members of the House, we are obliged to work on their concerns. Senator O'Donnell is correct. Those working in the housing sector, local government and the Department need to put aside their territorial issues and work together collectively to solve this crisis. It is not just about funding. An increase of €6 billion was provided by the Government in the most recent budget. An evolving fund is available under Rebuilding Ireland. A multi-annual fund was created by the previous Minister, Deputy Coveney, which is now being delivered by the current Minister, Deputy Murphy.

Senator Ó Céidigh is correct. Let us be solution-focused about the issue. We heard no solutions today from many contributors on the Order of Business. We in Fine Gael are well aware of the seriousness of the issue. Senator Mark Daly referred to Cork. As we speak, €155 million of Government money is providing 634 units social housing units in Cork. That is a fact.

It is providing money but not building housing. The money is being handed back.

Members should not come in with cheap, populist rhetoric. It ill behoves them-----

These are facts. The Government's own facts are being denied.

Senator Daly please resume your seat.

In Kerry 11 houses were built. That is a fact. Programmes are being announced, but houses are not being built.

There has been an increase in funding for the homeless. I am replying to the Order of Business.

If this is going to continue, I will suspend for 15 minutes.

I took 21 contributions. I take notes every single day. I have an obligation to respond. I appreciate from where the Cathaoirleach is coming. Let us deal with the facts. Some €6 billion is being provided, a 20% increase in the budget. It is the largest ever housing allocation. They are the facts. This is not fake news or Senator Daly's spin.

The money is being provided but the houses are not being built.

With respect, when Senator Daly was speaking there were at least four interventions, including from the Leader. I had to give him an extra minute. I am not condoning his intervention. If one agitates the Opposition, one can expect agitation back. Bí cúramach.

In her contribution, Senator Black mentioned normalising homelessness. Nobody on the Government side is trying to normalise anything about homelessness. Rather, we are trying to solve the problem. The use of language in the House or on the airwaves is very important. That is what the Minister was trying to convey.

I agree with Senators Wilson and Ned O'Sullivan on the position of Senator Gavan, who apologised for not being here. Sinn Féin is very good at abdicating responsibility. It must pass a budget in Limerick, as Senator Wilson said. If it does not, a commissioner will be appointed. I am certainly not happy to have a commissioner appointed to replace elected councillors who represent the people at local authority level.

Members of the Sinn Féin Party who come in here every day and criticise everything should not engage in opposition for the sake of it. They should not be cheerleaders and expect others to be responsible and go into government. I understand there is a motion on the clár of the Sinn Féin Ard-Fheis about government. Sinn Féin should be responsible and pass it. Its members should man up, come in to and take on the duties of government and be responsible to the people who elect its members, rather than walking off the pitch as it did in the Assembly in the North. Senator Ned O'Sullivan was correct, despite the protestations of Senator Mac Lochlainn. There was no voice in the budget negotiations for nationalists in the House of Commons this week. What would Seamus Mallon and John Hume have said? They started the peace process and were its architects. Sinn Féin came on board but the current political landscape means it must fulfil its duties.

Sinn Féin Members can make faces at me, but that is the reality. Those of us who have been in government, including Senator McDowell, took decisions on behalf of the people. Today, our country is in a better place because of the previous Government. Let us be real about this. Politics is about government and being responsible. It is not about being a cheerleader, waving banners and flags and organising protests. We can all do that.

It is about the 700,000 on the waiting lists and the thousands of children who do not have a home.

We understand that. That is why the budget is being increased. In his remarks in Cavan, the Taoiseach said our homeless figures were low by international standards. In addition, he said it was not good enough and we must turn the tide. I was standing next to him when he said it. Let us be real about this.

That is obviously the communications unit.

Senator Conway-Walsh's speeches are controlled by the head office in west Belfast. A single transferable speech is passed around.

I remind Senators that a Minister is waiting to deal with the next matter. We are well over time.

I respect that, but I am going to give a reply to the Order of Business because it is about time some of the myths from spin merchants who have a single transferable speech from west Belfast-----

We will have to get a communications unit.

Leo's spin is-----

In conclusion, the Government is well aware of the issue. We are determined to resolve the problem for everybody. No one approach will work; it is a complex matter and can only be solved by solutions.

I did not hear the remarks made by Eileen Gleeson on the radio today to which Senator Ruane referred.

They were outrageous.

The Senator is interrupting his leader.

It must have been Ireland's defeat yesterday. There is something amiss today.

Her remarks were badly articulated. I can only interpret what she was trying to say. In some cases, people who are homeless require myriad services and their best interaction is with the agencies who can help them. I regret the fact that she made the remarks she did. We are quick to condemn and judge a person who is trying to do her best.

Senators Mark Daly, Feighan, Gavan, Byrne and Ó Céidigh referred to the defeat of the soccer team yesterday. We are all upset by the defeat. A united Ireland soccer team is a matter we would all like progressed, if that is the will of the FAI and IFA. The result was disappointing from a soccer point of view. The joy and endeavour of the team deserves to be commended. The support the fans gave the team is also to be commended.

Senator Mark Daly referred to the fact that it is 499 days to Brexit. I again ask him to come off the horse and take off the blinkers he sometimes wears. The Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Minister of State with responsibility for European affairs have been very clear about the approach of the Government. We are building new alliances and a platform for support for the all-Ireland position and the uniqueness of our country. We will have a duty to wear the green jersey. I know Senator Mark Daly does so, but it is important that we continue to do so. He is correct about the British Government still not having a plan. That is a worrying problem.

Senator McDowell raised the issue of waste collection and the remarks attributed by him to Councillor Keith Redmond. I have great respect and time for the councillor, who is a very good public representative. It is a worry if an effective cartel is being created in parts of Dublin. That should be halted immediately and the situation rectified. There should be competition, and I am in favour of that.

Senator Wilson also referred to value for money. It is a matter for the local government auditor. It is a debate we can have in time.

I have already addressed the issue raised by Senator Ruane. It would behove Senator Ó Ríordáin, meanwhile, to engage with finding solutions rather than-----

He could turn down the volume for a start.

The Senator is probably going for YouTube records at this stage but we are here to find solutions. Senator Conway raised the issue of cyclists in Dublin and I would be happy to have the Minister come to the House to address that. Senators Ó Donnghaile and Ó Céidigh mentioned the former's recent briefing. I was not at that briefing and was not in fact aware of it but I would be happy to talk to the Senators on the matter. Senator Craughwell raised the issue of home improvement loans. It is certainly disappointing that our banks are once again trying to give money to people without due process. I had hoped that such a thing would not happen. We bailed out the banks and it is important that such matters be handled in a proper manner. I commend the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, and the Minister of State with special responsibility for mental health and older people, Deputy Jim Daly, for the launch today of the diabetic retina screening programme. It is a wonderful initiative and Dr. Diarmuid Quinlan in Cork was very much involved with it. In line with World Diabetes Week, it is important that we support such a programme.

Senator Mac Lochlainn has, regrettably, left the Chamber but in response to his contribution I wish to point out that we discussed Jadotville yesterday and I do not want to repeat what I said then other than to stress that the ceremony will involve full military honours. If Senator Mac Lochlainn is concerned about this then I would like to point out that the representatives from the Department of Defence I spoke to after yesterday's meeting were certainly not aware of the issues raised by Senator Craughwell. It is important to recognise, however, that the men of Jadotville are heroes and will be receiving medals and full military honours. From what I have been told by the Department, there is no ambiguity there.

I join with the other Senators in congratulating the people of Australia on their magnificent vote yesterday on marriage equality and I commend Tiarnan Brady, formerly political director of the Yes Equality campaign in this country, for leading the campaign in Australia, others like Craig Dwyer who travelled there to help with that campaign, and the many Irish people living in Australia who played a pivotal role in it. Today is a wonderful day for the people of Australia and a further sign of progress around the world. I salute and commend all involved and thank them on their work.

Senators Black and Ó Clochartaigh both referred to the report by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Deputy Ring, spoke at committee this morning and raised those very issues, namely, budgetary matters and the need for further improvement in rural Ireland, and I would be happy to have him come to the House to discuss them. In response to Senator Wilson, I would also be happy to have a debate on the funding of local government. Senator Lombard raised the issue of women's participation in sport. I join him in congratulating Tracey Kennedy on her appointment as the first female cathaoirleach of Coiste Contae Chorcaigh, the Cork County GAA board, and wish her well in her new role. Eithne O'Mahony, a woman from the Cathaoirleach's home town of Bantry, was the first female delegate some time back and it is great that Ms Kennedy has now been appointed chairperson of that board.

I join Senator Devine in asking that we all work to tackle the rate of attacks on mental health professionals. This is a worrying trend exacerbated, as the Senator said, by an ageing staff and by recruitment problems. We need to work on this. Senators Swanwick and Mulherin raised health care issues. The Minister will be in the House later this afternoon and the Senators can raise these matters then. Finally, I join Senator Ned O'Sullivan in welcoming the Luas extension and agree with him that the current situation in Clonmel train station needs to be taken into account by the Minister.

I also thank the Cathaoirleach for his indulgence. I would hate for him to think that the Members of the House do not respect him because we do, and I would be happy to speak to Members about their behaviour and the language used here. Listening to some Members one might swear that the Government does nothing-----

Féach ar an clog.

-----but the facts suggest otherwise.

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, who has some of his people from west Cork with him, to the House. The west Cork people are the salt of the earth, as the Minister of State knows himself, so they are very welcome to the Seanad Chamber.