Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. I am conscious of the clock.

I will finish up a little bit early to facilitate other Members to speak. I have a number of points to make. I thank the Minister, Deputy Coveney, for coming in here tonight. I understand that there are great demands on his time at the moment, particularly when we see the extraordinary events today across the Irish Sea. His presence this evening, therefore, is greatly appreciated. I am also very grateful for the very positive engagement we have had over the last couple of weeks and months. I am far more hopeful now…

Níl ach cúig nóiméad uaim agus mé ag caint ar son an Regional Group.

Níl. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, for proposing this new legislation. As an Independent member of the Regional Group, I am broadly supportive of it. It is necessary, appropriate and timely for a number of reasons. The business sector is important not just for the economy but also for society. Small and medium-sized indigenous enterprises and our microenterprises are especially important because they contribute billions of euro to the Exchequer, which helps to support vital public services but, most i…

On behalf of the Regional Group, I am happy to strongly support the restoration of this Bill to Committee Stage. It is really important that this happens and I will explain why. First, significant work has taken place. The former Senator, Mr. Pádraig Ó Céidigh deserves a huge credit for that. There has also been significant stakeholder engagement. He liaised with, for example, the Bar Council of Ireland, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, ICCL, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission, GSOC, and a host of others…

I am.

I am up in the cheap seats here at the very top. Ar dtús báire, déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle as a post nua. Is rud iontach é. Go n-éirí an bóthar léi ina hobair agus sa phost as seo amach.

I thank the Minister and his team for coming in to update the House on the Covid-19 emergency and the Government's response. I thank him for his compliments to the Opposition this morning. I, for one, will continue to engage constructively with his office and the Government as part of the huge national effort to combat the virus. I compliment the front-line workers and members of the public for getting what might have been a potential surge in the virus under control in the past fortnight. As the Minister outlined,…

My third question relates to contact tracing. How does the Minister anticipate the contact tracing system working in the next few months? Does he anticipate that the contact tracing app will take over or that the manual contact tracing by telephone will continue? The Government's second priority after schools is to reopen the healthcare system to non-Covid illnesses and conditions. There is a massive backlog. Will the Minister outline in general terms how he sees that happening in the coming months?

I wish to raise some defence matters with the Tánaiste. There is almost universal acceptance that there is a severe and worsening staff retention issue in the Defence Forces. All we have to do is look at the naval base in Cork where two naval ships are tied up. These vessels are unable to put to sea because there are not enough sailors to crew them. I have also been reliably informed that a further two ships will be tied up by the year end. Almost half the fleet, four ships, will be at anchor, unable to put to sea …

I thank the Tánaiste for that clarification. My follow-up question relates to the defence budget. Based on percentage of GDP, we already have the smallest defence budget in the EU. Compounding this problem has been the practice in recent years of significant Department of Defence Vote moneys being returned to the Central Fund at year end. The size of that return depends on one's interpretation of it, but I am particularly concerned this year. Most of the Deputies present will know that we have voted through Revised…

The Regional Group is here; we are up in the cheap seats at the back. I have a statement on behalf of the Regional Group. There are no specific questions but if the Minister wishes to respond at the end, that is entirely her prerogative. This is my first opportunity to address the Minister in this forum. I wish to extend every best wish to her and her family regarding her recent appointment. I look forward to working with her and the Government in the coming years. It is in the interests of everyone here that she h…

As this is my first opportunity to address the Minister in this forum, I extend my very best wishes to him and his family on his recent appointment. Specifically in regard to his role as Minister with responsibility for communications, I would be grateful if he can update the House on his initial assessment in regard to the ability of this country to prevent and protect itself against cyberattack.

I thank the Minister for that informative response. I commend his Department on publishing the national cybersecurity strategy in December of last year. It is a very good document. I am heartened that there is a significant reference to cybersecurity in the programme for Government. It is important considering the number of international technology firms based in the country and the increase in the move towards digitalisation and remote working as a result of the crisis we are going through. I am encouraged by the …

That is great. I thank the Minister for clarifying that the programme for Government commits to the full implementation of the national cybersecurity strategy, which is good. The programme for Government has a specific reference to utilising the potential and important role of the Defence Forces in this regard. How does the Minister envisage the relationship between his Department and the Defence Forces evolving over the lifetime of the Government?

I thank the Minister of State for updating the House on the Brexit negotiations. I agree with the sentiment in her opening statement that it is quite disappointing to see how things have played out. I thank her for her honesty and candour in keeping us updated with the truth, regardless of how unpalatable it may actually be. On the UK land bridge, obviously every Member will be aware that the most efficient way to move goods from Ireland to continental Europe is via the UK land mass. It is encouraging and welcome t…

I thank the Minister of State for that useful information. My second question relates to Brexit infrastructure in Ireland. Most people will accept that the UK has a lot to improve on with regard to facilities from 1 January next year. That is beyond our control because it is the UK's prerogative. What is within our control is the facilities, be it port or airport facilities, that we have in Ireland. Will the Minister of State outline how much investment and development has taken place over the past 12 months to get…

My final question relates to the manpower crisis in the Naval Service. This is becoming even more relevant now. We know that the issue of fisheries will be a major bone of contention between the EU and UK negotiating teams. If we can agree a fisheries protocol, it will probably be cobbled together at the last minute. The Irish Naval Service will be the people who monitor, enforce and police that agreement. I am concerned by this because last week the Minister of State with responsibility for defence agreed that two…

I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House to answer questions on defence matters. If it is okay, I might go straight to questions and answers. To provide some structure to the proceedings and for the convenience of the Minister of State, I might group my questions in regard to the four domains the Defence Forces operate under, namely, land, sea, air and cyber. I might take a break between each one to allow the Minister of State to respond. From a land perspective, the Minister of State launched a re-enl…

Does the Minister of State know the number?