I thank the Deputy again for raising this very time-sensitive issue. I will take on board everything he has said. Before I came in this evening, the Minister reiterated to me that he is hopeful the HSE can achieve a positive outcome concerning the drug. I will ensure he gets the HSE actioned and keeps that continuous engagement and communication open at pace. The Deputy is right that every one of us wants, in our role as public representatives, to get the best outcome for our people and I will do that after leaving…

Before coming to the House, I took advice in the Department. I spoke to the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and my colleagues, the Ministers of State, Deputies English and Thomas Byrne, to gain a good understanding of what this issue was about. Deputy O'Rourke asked me a straight question and I am giving him a straight answer. No, it is not the case. The long-standing policy still stands and there is no change in policy. I have a script that has been prepared by the Department, which I will read. It is important…

I will just go back to exactly how I started my previous commentary, which was that there is no change. The policy of 2013-----

There is no change whatsoever-----

-----and the Department of Health has set out since 2013 that there is no policy to close Navan hospital's accident and emergency department.

I will make a suggestion. I am only a junior Minister in the Department of Health and I think this is a senior Minister's conversation. With the support of the Ministers of State, Deputies English and Byrne - I know they have a meeting organised with the Minister next week to discuss this again - perhaps the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, could open the matter up to other Oireachtas Members to have that conversation. I believe that this Government has no policy to close anything whatsoever.

With the height of respect, I would like the Deputies across the House to take me in good faith until the Minister can meet with them.

Yes. I have a specialty in roads as well as everything else. I do understand the value of a secondary national route. I have loads of them around my area, so I totally understand. Deputy Sherlock has been to all the Ministers in respect of this matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Transport. I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. As he might be aware, the Minister has responsibility for overall policy and securing Exchequer funding regarding the national roads programme. What Deputy Sherlock …

I thank the Deputy again for raising this issue. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle and I know the roads around Galway very well. I expect there are many people who use the N73 who have far more sway than I in advancing the project. The Minister, Deputy Ryan, who has responsibility for this matter, has set out that under the HD 15 network safety analysis programme, safety works are based on accident density across the network. Those sections of the network with considerably higher than average accident densities are selecte…

I get all the good ones, a Cheann Comhairle. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. While I will deliver his script, I have my own opinion as well, which I would be happy to share with the Deputies.

I want to thank the Deputies for raising this important issue. I welcome the opportunity to discuss the topic on the floor of the House. It is not the first time that I have responded to this matter. I think it might be the third time. I think I responded to Deputy Neale Richmond as well as to Deputy Cairns previously. This is my third time to respond to this matter. I assure the House and the Deputies present that I completely understand and recognise the concerns and anxiety that the restrictions have caused to w…

I am aware that Senator Doherty is having a meeting with the HSE tomorrow. All female Members, including the two Ministers of State in the Department of Health and all other female Ministers, have signed a supporting document. I call on the HSE to meet with the female Members of the Oireachtas tomorrow evening, to take on board all the suggestions and to show leniency, tolerance and empathy to the women coming into their maternity wards.

I thank the Deputies for raising this important matter. As Deputy Carroll MacNeill said, it is not a school in the ordinary sense of a school and it is important for people who are looking in here to understand this. We are discussing the most vulnerable young people in society. The Deputies will be aware that I have met with parents and families of Carmona on a number of occasions, as well as visiting Carmona earlier this year with Deputies Devlin and Carroll MacNeill. I know all too well the difficulties they hav…

I thank the Deputies. Since yesterday, and to complete this work in a timely and safe manner, I have been informed by the HSE that the CDNT manager has increased the clinical resource in addition to the original allocation on a temporary basis from the existing team. I am also happy to confirm that the CEO of Enable Ireland, the HSE chief officer for the area, the disability head of services, and the CDNT, will schedule a meeting with the children's families separately to the meetings with the principal of Carmona …

I am. This is a new one for me now.

I thank the Deputies for the opportunity to address this issue in the House today. I am taking this Topical Issue matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, and it is his Department that has written the script. Improving public transport services and infrastructure is central to improving citizens' quality of life and addressing our climate action challenge. This Government is committed to a fundamental change in the nature of transport in Ireland. As a Government we need to provide more options to people so th…

They must have anticipated that is where Deputy O'Reilly would leave off, given the opening line of my conclusion. As I said earlier, there has been no Government decision to defer the project. With regard to MetroLink, there remains an extensive body of work in finalising the preliminary design, completing the required environmental impact assessment report and closing out project property referencing issues before the railway order application will be ready for submission to An Bord Pleanála. Aspects of this work…

I move: That Dáil Éireann resolves that the relevant period, within the meaning of section 9 of the Health (Amendment) Act 2021 (No. 1 of 2021), shall stand extended for the period beginning on the 1st day of August, 2021 and ending on the 31st day of October, 2021. On behalf of the Minister for Health, I propose a motion to extend the Health (Amendment) Act 2021, which provides for mandatory hotel quarantine, to 31 October 2021. The Act contains a sunset clause at section 9 and unless extended by a resolution, pas…

I thank the Deputies for their contributions and for the challenges voiced. It made for an interesting discussion, which is important. On behalf of the Minister for Health, I thank the guests of the designated hotel facilities who continue to do what the legislation asked them to do. We know it is not easy. We put in a strict and comprehensive set of procedures at the designated facilities. The vast majority of the residents have co-operated with the challenging measures without question. Deputy Berry asked if I co…

I thank Deputies for raising these important matters and allowing us time to discuss them today. I would prefer we were not standing on the floor of the Dáil discussing this, the variant had not arrived and we were in a completely different space. It is not perfect but it gives us the opportunity to get the doors open within NPHET recommendations. It it something we can build on. That is what I am hearing from vintners and from Adrian Cummins of the Restaurants Association of Ireland. The Covid-19 pandemic has had …