I raise the issue of accommodation for people fleeing domestic violence. I know that since I tabled the question, the Minister has had updates on the issue and published plans on it. What engagement has she had with the various local groups in respect of delivery of services? For example, the West Cork Women Against Violence Project has been providing very positive services in its locality, as have a range of other groups locally. The Minister has identified there will be five places for families in west Cork and f…

Thankfully, we are moving beyond the situation of Covid certificates being required. That is due to a significant effort by people around the country. They are still required when travelling internationally. It is getting more difficult for people who have had Covid, sought a PCR test, but have not been able to get that. They are not able to get a Covid recovery certificate if they have had a confirmation via antigen testing. Many younger people, including anyone under 40, were told that they could not get a PCR te…

I need to raise again the issue of driver licence renewal for those aged 70 to 75. Legislation has been agreed on the withdrawal of the requirement for a medical report for those aged 70 to 75 but it has not yet been implemented. This was expected to happen at the start of last December, but it did not happen. It was then expected to happen at the start of this month, but it still has not happened. In the meantime, people's licences are up for renewal and they are faced with having to obtain medical certification a…

I want to establish if the Minister is going to focus on having additional places for nursing and for other critical skills, additional places in college, and through the various channels, for the year ahead.

I acknowledge the additional places that have been provided over the past two years. Many of the references are in the context of college places. There are a number of different channels through which people get qualified for nursing. For example, there is a QQI level 5 nursing studies PLC course in McEgan College of Further Education in Macroom. There is a health and social studies course at level 6 in Mallow. There is a whole range of different channels through which people can access nursing studies. These are v…

I used the McEgan and Mallow college courses as an example to illustrate the position regarding PLC courses. Consider a student called Hannah, for example, who is clearly passionate about becoming a nurse. She is a 2020 leaving certificate graduate and is now going to be competing with 2022 leaving certificate students and the inflated grades. There needs to be a certain amount of reserved places for people coming through those different channels. It is not always just about the degree course. The Minister also nee…

Last week's decision by An Bord Pleanála to approve a wind farm at Derreendonee in Curraglass, along the southern rim of Cork's beauty spot, Gougane Barra, has really taken locals in Ballingeary by surprise. Cork County Council had refused planning permission, as had the board's inspector. The council's response was an adamant and definite refusal. The council's planner said that the plans would "materially contravene the stated Objectives of the Cork County development plan" and "provide for a highly intrusive vis…

Almost all the Minister of State's response focused on the need for energy and climate action requirements. There is widespread recognition of that aspect from locals and the planning authority in this case. There are, however, places that are more suitable for different uses. It must surely be recognised that tourism is to be considered in this context as well. Gougane Barra has to be regarded as a stand-out area for tourism. Just because a national policy is in place to approve wind farms, that does not mean that…

The proposal of the Commission on Pensions to change the PRSI system and charge PRSI on supplementary pensions is a real worry for people, especially those for whom the pension is the only source of income. Can the Minister outline the strategy for dealing with this? Will she resist it?

As the Minister stated, the State pension is a bedrock of the system; however, there are people who, for different reasons, do not qualify for one. The draft commission report recommended that pensioners pay more PRSI, but through having the solidarity rate and by the removal of the exemption on supplementary pensions. A supplementary pension sounds like something extra. For many, it is their only source of income. I am pleased that the joint committee published its report and made recommendations on the PRSI chang…

Many of those who contacting me point to the fact that no pensioner was on the Commission on Pensions. They worry about how they are going to have their say and how their voice is going to be part of the whole engagement. In the absence of pensioner representation, they see these different proposals coming forward. They are threatening proposals that they feel will reduce their only income. How does the Minister propose that their voices will be heard within the system in view of the fact that there was no pensione…

I want to raise the leaving certificate. Students and teachers have been raising concerns with me about the shape of the examination for next summer. The traditional examination had shortcomings, and returning to it as a default would be a real missed opportunity. It has not been a traditional experience in the classroom either. There is a great chance to learn from the past two years and to put an improved leaving certificate in place. There are students who want something similar to last year's leaving certificat…

There was agreement on legislation to increase the age limit for people who were renewing their drivers’ licences and would need medical certificates. The age limit was to be increased from 70 to 75. The Road Safety Authority was reviewing the draft legislation and it was being sent on to the Parliamentary Counsel. There was an expectation this would be delivered earlier this year. Will the Minister of State outline the up-to-date situation on it and how soon it will be in place?

I thank the Minister of State for that update. I am concerned at the February date because when previously raised, there was an expectation that this would be in place by December of this year, assuming that there were no wobbles or hold-ups. I ask the Minister of State to outline the delays that emerged over recent months to cause the date to be pushed out to February. Has it been sent to the Parliamentary Counsel for advice? How quickly would the Minister of State expect the counsel to respond? Realistically, GPs…

I acknowledge the extensions which were a very practical and meaningful measure but many of those extended licences will fall due for renewal soon. I have been contacted by many people who are waiting to renew their licence. Their dates are up now or will be fairly shortly but they are holding off on renewal, pending this change. Where do they stand? Will it be based on their date of birth? If a person's birthday falls now but this new measure does not come in until next February, where do they stand? Will they sti…

I need to raise the matter of non-Covid patients who are waiting for access to health services. Many vulnerable people, whether they are in hospital, in the accident and emergency department or up in the ward, would previously have had a family member who could advocate on their behalf and to explain their situation. That is no longer possible with the restrictions. People are feeling very isolated and families are very concerned. It is also very difficult for the hospital staff because people may be too ill to out…

To have the most meaningful impact on the environment we need the greatest level of participation from farmers. The various schemes should include actions that will engage the maximum number of farmers from right across the different enterprises in order to get the best impact on the environment. Will the Minister outline the measures he has been considering and the rationale behind them, including some and not others?

I thank the Minister for those details. I acknowledge that he has taken feedback on board and made modifications and extensions with those five options, making the process more accessible and meaningful for farmers. Can he outline the options that were considered and did not make it? One of those schemes focuses on working in co-operation with neighbours on adjacent farms. There are areas where it will not be possible to get all of the farms around involved in the scheme. Maybe somebody is letting out land or neigh…

I want to focus back in on the point about those who are not just dealing with their own farm but taking in a commonage or land along a body of water, for example. It is going to give much more meaningful environmental benefit if there is a larger number of people involved and the action is being taken across a wider area. There are situations where it may be on commonage or the landowner may not be interested in engaging. Not only are we losing the environmental benefit in that case but also the other farmers may …

A large number of parents have been raising different concerns with me about the situation of Covid within the school environment, particularly the measures to deal with it. For some, the wearing of masks is a real difficulty and open windows for ventilation is a big problem for many. Parents are asking about measures to improve the environment for children in the classroom, including ventilation systems being installed, the use of masks and, in particular, the option of vaccinations being available to children in …