There is a shocking level of emissions from the agricultural sector. I think the Government has just talked itself into saying it cannot do this. It says it must not do it, but it does not know how we are going to reduce emissions. We can do it in many ways but the Government will not reduce the herd. That is absolute nonsense. There has been a policy in this State to increase the herd steadily since 2011 and to create export markets abroad where they never existed previously. The entire policy is based on a food s…

It is almost impossible to do it in 30 seconds. I have seen many Deputies get a lot-----

I do. I will make an attempt at it. On 13 January in an attempt to apologise to the victims and survivors of mother and baby homes, the Taoiseach stated that children born outside marriage were treated as outcasts. Some 40% of the survivors now feel that they are being treated like outcasts because they are excluded from the redress scheme. A motion that was passed in the Dáil on 23 November and that the Government did not oppose called on the Government to engage immediately with the victims and survivors who were…

That is the Taoiseach's term.

Some 40% are excluded.

Almost.

It would be more comfortable. My foot is sore today. I will state categorically that People Before Profit will not be supporting this legislation. We opposed the renewal of these measures in the past and we are opposing them again. They are to be extended to March and possibly beyond. We are opposing them because we do not trust the Government with these laws, nor do we any longer have hope that it will do the right thing in a manner that will build and maintain social solidarity throughout the pandemic and secure …

They gave it to the meat plants and the gas industry.

No, but I am interrupting you.

I am aware that the Tánaiste, the Taoiseach, the Minister for Health, all members of the Cabinet and every Member of this House has received expert legal counsel from senior counsel, Stephen Dodd, in regard to the national maternity hospital and the possibility of it being constitutional for the State to compulsorily purchase the lands on which it sits. The senior counsel argues that the matter is of such importance to the State, there is a legitimate State interest in achieving certainty which can only be secured …

I am somewhat puzzled by this. I am glad we are having this debate in the Dáil. I do not think we would be having it were it not for the SAs who got themselves organised into the union, began to push to make this an issue and had webinar meetings with us in this Covid-19 time. Without them, we would not be discussing this matter in the way that we are. It is very important that we are honest with each other about this. I could not do this job without the secretarial staff. My salary is now €92,000 or in that region…

On knock-on effects and pay increases across sectors, we have to acknowledge, and we would be putting our heads in the sand if we did not, that we have a problem with low pay in this country and particularly in the public sector. The ushers and service officers in this House, the cleaners, everyone who looks after us, are not paid enough. The pay is too low. We are not just singling out the secretarial assistants for the sake of it but this is the particular legislation that we are dealing with that pertains to the…

I will not take much time; I wish to ask a question. I am a bit puzzled. My understanding is that the highest rate of Omicron is in the UK. Would the Minister ever envisage introducing mandatory hotel quarantine for people coming from the UK? Although I support the amendment, if the Minister does not envisage that, then the amendment will not really be applicable. I am not arguing against it; I am trying to figure out what is in the Minister's head. If the Minister is not going to introduce mandatory hotel quaranti…

I will focus on the schools because well over a year ago I started questioning the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, about what was going on in schools. I did so because I was personally involved with a number of teachers who were in a group called the Forgotten Families. They were teachers who were vulnerable at school and who stayed at home to avoid Covid because of their vulnerability. They offered their time and services to do online teaching for children who had to stay at home because of vulnerability in …

It is possible Deputy Paul Murphy will turn up too; I am not sure. I thank Deputy Kerrane for tabling the motion. It is timely, and I know it is appreciated hugely by the LES workers throughout the country. Earlier, at the gates of Leinster House, we welcomed them from as far away as counties Mayo and Galway to Ballyfermot and County Meath. They came from all over Dublin as well as from the west. That goes to show the commitment these individuals have to the job they do. I sometimes wonder when I am in this House w…

I wish to return to the question of student poverty and accommodation costs. I know Rome was not built overnight, but if one lived in Dublin 8 one would swear that student accommodation, built by corporate developers that charge up to €1,800 to live in it for 8 months, was built overnight. It is all over the place. It is totally owned by corporate developers and is very expensive so that only the very wealthy or overseas students can afford it, or if they cannot be let, a change of use is sought for them. What will…

I am glad the Minister referred to college-owned and affordable accommodation because the Union of Students in Ireland is not the only student group protesting. University College Dublin student groups have been protesting about a 20% to 30% increase in accommodation costs. They are being charged €1,400 for eight months. The Minister mentioned the cost rental model and I am curious as to what he means by that. In the Government's homes for all Bill, cost rental is defined as 25% below the market value. If this is t…

They are great plans and sound lovely and all the rest of it, but the model of cost rental really matters and the one the Government envisages is not good enough because it leaves people subject to market fluctuations. We cannot do that immediately but there are some things we can do immediately which would help to alleviate student poverty, one of which would be to scrap the registration fees. All fees could be scrapped and the Government could cough up and make sure we get the quality training, education and skil…

I was reading back on interesting articles to do with the State's investment in property and housing. It is clear the State is one of the biggest players in the property market, but one would not think so, because State agencies and local authorities are renting and leasing properties back from the State. If one looks at the total investment by the State into the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, which is basically to vulture and cuckoo funds, it adds up to €1.63 billion in the recent past. I say that to set the b…

The Minister of State said the provision of public land would be of no cost. I would assume it would be of no cost because it is public land. It should not add to the cost of building homes on it. I want to go to the Minister of State’s figures. There is a maximum threshold of €53,000 to qualify for affordable housing. A combined income of €53,000 in a home where two people work would mean they would both have to be on just above the minimum wage to meet that threshold of €53,000. This makes a joke of what is being…