Last Dáil meeting before Easter holidays: the schedule

The Dáil will meet at 10.30am when Taoiseach Enda Kenny will make a statement on last week's European Council meeting in Brussels, which laid the foundation for an agreement with Turkey on the management of the refugee crisis in the Balkans.

Opposition leaders and some Independent TDs will also make statements and may also question the Taoiseach. Opposition TDs are likely to question Mr Kenny on Ireland's performance in accommodating refugees. Ireland is committed to accepting up to 4,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict. However, the latest figures from the Department of Justice shows that just 251 refugees have arrived from Lebanon/Jordan since the beginning of 2015, while just 10 have arrived from Greece.

Mr Kenny also said, when the Dáil last met, that he would TDs a report on the progress of government formation, although this does not explicitly appear on the Dáil’s schedule for today.

The European statements will be followed by statements on last week’s agriculture council in Brussels, which will last for two hours.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney will also report on the conclusions reached in Brussels and TDs will again be able to ask questions. The council urged the European Commission to take steps to combat over-supply of produce in some markets, which have exerted downward pressure on milk prices in particular.

Then, for four hours, the Dáil will hear statements on housing and homelessness. Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly is expected to lead for the Government, his department said. Opposition parties are likely to criticise the Coalition's record on housing policy and homelessness and to raise the issue of residents of Cruise Park in Tyrrelstown, west Dublin, some of whom have been given notices to quit their homes.

Government sources said Mr Kelly would robustly defend the Government’s record and lay out progress that has been made on housing in recent months.

The Dáil is scheduled to adjourn at 6.15pm until after Easter and will reconvene on Wednesday, April 6th, when another vote on the election of a taoiseach is expected.