I welcome the Tánaiste's comments on Aer Lingus. I think he will accept that most employees on the support schemes and who are sitting at home will take his comments literally when he states that Aer Lingus will not be allowed to fail. The past 12 months have been a particularly punishing time for business, which I know the Tánaiste and all Members of the House accept. It is acutely important that we also recognise that the pandemic has not just had a catastrophic effect on our businesses and the Exchequer but also…

This Bill aims to address the obvious need for increased housing stock in Ireland. It proposes to do so by bringing together stakeholders such as local authorities, housing agencies and voluntary groups to provide services to local authorities in order to assist them in the performance of their functions. In doing so, it will provide more affordable housing for the tens of thousands of people left waiting following our economic collapse. The initial investment of more than €1 billion under the Ireland Strategic Inv…

I will try to continue in the vein that Deputy Carroll MacNeill has started. It is pretty much the same thing. I echo the comment made by Deputy Colm Burke earlier on. As a Member of this House for the past decade, I am getting information on Covid vaccinations from journalists. That should not be the case and I know the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, accepts that. That has to change dramatically and quickly. The public is in need of a significant shot of hope and the vaccine roll-out is a great opportunity to …

Deputy Durkan is taking Question No. 37 for Deputy Higgins.

Seanad Éireann has passed the Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2020 without amendment.

The Select Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science has completed its consideration of the Supplementary Estimates for public services for the year ending 31 December 2020 - Vote 45.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter, which I submitted last week on publication of the Environmental Protection Agency report. I appreciate having the opportunity to address it today. I thank the Minister of State for coming before us today. However, I must express my disappointment that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, is not available. That said, I will start by referring to the report of the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, which has generate…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. Previous EPA reports have drawn attention to this issue and while I appreciate the statement the Minister of State has made to the House, I point out there are plans that predate Irish Water in respect of treating and catering for the expansion of our cities, particularly here in Dublin, that are pushing up daisies. For example, the greater Dublin strategic drainage study, GDSDS, report has been around for over a decade and yet it has not been implemented because of p…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to these statements. I note with appreciation both Ministers appearing before the Oireachtas committee recently to create their Department so I express my congratulations on that point. I believe it has to be formalised by the House but that will be a great day for both of them. I know they will be very pleased to formally have a Department in which to work. I want to cover a few issues within the higher education sector. I will start with the expansion of apprenticeships, wh…

The Select Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands has completed its consideration of the following further Revised Estimate for public services for the service of the year ending 31 December 2020: Vote 37.

I thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the work he has done in his Department in recent years, particularly on Brexit and on this and the previous Brexit Bills. I appreciate all of the work his Department has done to best prepare this jurisdiction for what will inevitably cause significant damage, not just to our economy, but also to our relations with the UK. Of course, all of that can be avoided if prudent steps are taken in the next few weeks to come to an arrangement that is to the mutual benefit of every…

I thank the Acting Chairman for the opportunity to address the Finance Bill. I welcome the Minister of State. I find myself wanting to start where I had planned on finishing, that is to say, talking about the long-term sustainability of budgets of this nature. This is so given the volume of borrowing that will be necessary to fund expenditure in 2021 in addition, no doubt, to voluminous amounts of borrowing next year to meet the demands of subsequent years. It would be unfortunate if Deputy Ó Cuív mentioned all of …

In accordance with Standing Order 80(2), the division is postponed until the weekly division time on Wednesday, 11 November 2020.

I am afraid it is.

We now move to questions and answers. I propose that the Minister of State answer the questions that have arisen during debate and then, if Members wish to ask questions, there will be 20 minutes available.

There will be an opportunity for questions.

There is no point of order. Will the Deputy take his seat? He knows there is no point of order.

I apologise to the Minister of State but I am conscious that there are two minutes left for questions and he must have his wrap-up as well.

This is a welcome opportunity to address yesterday's budget, as announced by the Ministers for Finance and for Public Expenditure and Reform in the Convention Centre. It includes a significant level of investment in our economy and our people. This record level of investment is a statement of confidence in our people and our economy that we will be able to weather this storm and return to economic growth in the years ahead. Our country finds itself in a unique position whereby we are faced with two major threats to…

I believe Deputy Andrews is introducing Question No. 8.