Does the Minister wish to respond or is he happy enough?

Just the Minister, please.

The Minister without interruption. He is on his feet.

The Minister without interruption.

Deputy Brady, you will have an opportunity to respond in a minute. The Minister only, please.

The Minister to respond, please. There is an over and back defined - two minutes, one minute and one minute.

The Minister without interruption please.

As no one is here to ask Question No. 80 we will move on.

There are supplementary questions from Deputies Colm Burke, Catherine Connolly and Gino Kenny.

We move now to Deputy Connolly.

It is just one minute I think. All we can afford at the moment is 60 seconds and then 60 seconds for the Minister.

Okay, that is fair enough, Deputy. We will go for 60 seconds over and back with the Minister twice and then on to Deputy Gino Kenny.

The Minister has previously indicated that from January, households and businesses that microgenerate energy at home from solar panels or wind turbines will be paid. I have three questions for him. What will be the rate per kw/h or tariff they will be paid? Who will decide what rate or tariff will be paid? When will we know all this?

It is no secret that we are in the midst of another wave of Covid-19. The peak of that wave is some still distance away. It is also no secret that our hospital system is under severe strain and pressure at the moment. That is being felt by our front-line healthcare professionals, including our doctors, nurses, paramedics, healthcare assistants and everybody else involved. They have been fighting this virus for almost two years now. They are completely exhausted, burned out and flat to the mat. They are used to maki…

I agree with the Taoiseach's views on vaccination and boosters, but my question is on whether we are likely to have a decision this side of Christmas on a recognition package for our front-line professional healthcare workers. The second group of people I would not like to see ignored or forgotten about comprises the voluntary, unpaid workers who are working in testing and vaccination centres all around the country. The Tánaiste mentioned consideration being given to a small honorarium as a small token of appreciat…

I was happy to see on page 160 of the budget last month that there is a €25 million allocation to support a pilot basic income guarantee scheme for the artistic community in the country. It is a very good concept but I would like to know a little more of the detail. Perhaps the Minister could use the opportunity this morning to expand the detail of the scheme and let everybody know what is involved.

That is a useful reply and we are really in full agreement that Ireland's artistic and creative sector has achieved world renown for good reason. These people are exceptional and need to be supported just to maximise value both from a societal and economic perspective. I thank the Minister for articulating the timeline in general. Who is the scheme for? What internal sectors within the artistic community is it for? I appreciate the Minister has indicated the first quarter of 2022 for the devising of the scheme but …

It is good the Government recognises that the artistic sector needs to be supported financially. I would argue that it also needs to be supported infrastructurally. There are many small towns and villages throughout rural and regional Ireland that do not have an artistic centre, although they have digital hubs. Perhaps this is an issue the Minister will raise with her Cabinet colleague, the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys. Many of the digital business hubs are underutilised at the weekend and evenings. Could the…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this truly tragic and harrowing case. I thank the Minister of State for her opening statement. I would have preferred more detail, but I understand that she was being deliberately vague in light of the fact that there is an ongoing commission of investigation. I, too, will be quite circumspect in my use of language for the same reasons. I wish to make two brief points on behalf of the Regional Group. First, I thank the Farrelly commission of investigation for its work so far. I…

I acknowledge the Taoiseach's opening remarks. I am grateful for the update on the Council meeting two weeks ago. I have four points to make with regard to the debrief and the Council meeting. The first relates to the rule of law. I share the concerns voiced by a number of Deputies about what is happening in Poland and Hungary at present. The rule of law, fundamental freedoms and democracy are central tenets of the European Union and, from our point of view, they should be non-negotiable red lines. I agree with Pre…