I attended an IBEC meeting this morning. The point was made that as the vaccines are being rolled out and based upon the progress made and milestones reached, we should see reopening of the economic sector to allow businesses to get back on their feet. In addition to that, I also raise the very important issue of our cancer services. These services need to be urgently re-opened and should be working in tandem with the restrictions. I know that Professor O’Reilly, who is an oncologist, has raised very serious concer…

I welcome the opportunity to speak briefly on this Bill. The purpose of the Bill is to extend the emergency period specified in the Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies, Act 2020 until 12 July 2021 while recognising and balancing the constitutionally protected property rights of landlords. While that is welcome, many people will be asking why we do not apply such legislative imagination to introducing more robust protections around evictions generally. We have a situation, and I have raised this a nu…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an nGrúpa Réigiúnach, a chuir an Bille seo os ár gcomhair. Beidh mé ag tabhairt mo thacaíocht iomlán don Bhille. We have a compensation culture in Ireland that needs to be strongly challenged. Many businesses have been left high and dry and many have suffered much distress due to fraudulent compensation claims. This Bill is relevant and appropriate to what is happening in Ireland. As Deputy Naughten made clear, the Bill's aim is to act as a genuine deterrent to those making false claims by inc…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. I add my voice to this call. It is fundamentally wrong to deny people in Ireland the right to attend Mass, a service or public worship, depending on their religion. This Government needs to be fair with people and show some compassion. People are finding the pandemic very tough and challenging and this is a very dark time for many. Why not give them the solace of attending their churches with the comfort and support that people get from that? I commend Canon White, the Cat…

I am very disappointed. Our 1916 Proclamation refers to religious and civil liberty. Where is this country going? This is a basic human right. I hope we will be proved right as they were in Scotland. People of faith are being denied access to churches and to Mass and services. It is about attending the sacraments. It is not just about people going into a church on their own and praying. We have to remember the churches handled everything very well. Every safety measure was put in place. There was no evidence of any…

Tá áthas orm an deis a fháil labhairt ar an rún seo. Tá mé ag tacú leis an rún. This is a very deep and systematic problem that we are dealing with today in terms of educational disadvantage. As always, it disproportionately affects those in what are termed the lower socioeconomic groups in society. I am aware that the Department is working with the European Commission on the independently appointed consortia of consultants on the Cassells report and that the key aim of the review includes an examination of the fun…

In 2017 the Rural Independent Group brought forward a motion calling on the Government to honour the commitment in the programme for Government to reform the fair deal scheme by removing discrimination against small businesses and farming families and to introduce a reduced charge on the farm or business assets. The purpose of the motion was to remove the uncertainty for farm families and the self-employed and to protect the future viability of the farm or business asset for future generations. Since that date almo…

I thank the Taoiseach for that response. I welcome that the proposed legislation is on the priority list. At this point, however, when people such as farmers and small businesses are in more financially precarious situations than they were in 2017, there is a need to provide a date. We need a solid date provided at this point. We have waited for far too long. Farming families are under tremendous pressure, between Brexit and everything else that has impacted upon them. They are struggling to pay bills for loved one…

There is a major problem with the lack of adequate broadband in Laois–Offaly. I have been contacted by many frustrated constituents and farming families who have to do most of their business online. With children at home now trying to engage in online learning, particularly those in examination years, this is not adequate. It is not good enough. There is a serious problem. Bearing in mind that Laois–Offaly is undergoing a very unjust transition, which I have called it from the start, and that investment is needed i…

I have two issues I wish to raise with the Minister. The first relates to the reinstatement of the educational disadvantage committee. We know that the recent HEA report shows clearly that students who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to progress to third level or even to apprenticeships. We need to ensure that we have measures in place. One way of doing this and a cost-effective solution would be to reinstate the educational disadvantage committee which did great work when it was in place. This …

Tá áthas orm an deis a fháil contribution a dhéanamh sa díospóireacht inniu. Is cuid lárnach agus shaibhir í an teanga Ghaelach den chultúr Gaelach, mar is eol dúinn. Tá TG4 agus na cainéil cosúil leo ag déanamh sároibre chun an Ghaeilge a chur chun cinn agus an teanga a chosaint. Tá níos mó maoinithe ag teastáil, áfach, do TG4 chun leanúint leis an sárobair. Tá sé mar phlean ag an Roinn Oideachais 42 Ghaelscoil nua a bhunú lasmuigh den Ghaeltacht idir 2019 and 2022 mar chuid den straitéis 20 bliain don Ghaeilge. B…

Gaelscoil na Laochra in Birr, County Offaly has been waiting since 2015 to move to its permanent premises, which is partially occupied by a mental health service. This issue has dragged on and it is very unfair on the pupils and staff. We need an intervention by the Minister, as well as more co-operation between the HSE and the Department of Education. The Gaelscoil na Laochra school community has waited for this move to happen since 2015. I raised this issue with the previous Minister, but I am hopeful that this M…

I was deeply sorry and shocked to hear about the threat to the Minister's family home. Such behaviour is totally unacceptable and appalling. It must have generated unnecessary concern for him and his family. Those actions should not have happened and I wholeheartedly condemn them. As we know, this Bill proposes to introduce mandatory quarantine for travellers arriving into this State to limit the spread of Covid-19, particularly in light of recent variants of the disease which have been identified. It also increase…

It makes no sense for peat to be imported, as Deputy Browne said. I received figures from the Department of the Taoiseach showing that €3.5 million worth of peat was imported into this country last year. We have workers who lost their jobs during a global pandemic. It is not right. Some 17,000 jobs, or more, are at risk. The midlands are suffering adversely. The Minister needs to take on board that the transition is not fair and counties such as Offaly are bearing the brunt of empty aspirations and rhetoric. People…

It is not just.

The Minister needs to wake up to reality.

He needs to wake up to reality.

As the Taoiseach is aware, the CE schemes do fantastic work in rural communities in particular. I ask for action to be taken in terms of the situation in which they now find themselves, which is at crisis point. Will he increase each scheme by €6 per week to cover their materials?

Tá áthas orm labhairt ar an topaic seo. Tá sé fíorthábhachtach. The New Decade, New Approach agreement was brokered to help restore confidence in devolved government at Stormont. It was a welcome move, as it underlined the necessity for all sides to work as constructively as possible in order for the people of the North to have some kind of stability, which they richly deserved. Perhaps we could do something similar in the South. On a more serious note, the issues under discussion – stability, good governance and s…

I have a number of questions. There are terrible delays for businesses in respect of imports. I have been contacted by a number of businesses based in the midlands and have been told that there are terrible delays with customs. A customs agent has to be engaged for each transaction, which costs €80. Prior to that, an invoice has to be obtained in the UK and that can be delayed by up to four days. There is also pettiness with customs officers here who, I have heard, have taken sandwiches from drivers coming in from …