The agenda now allows for 20 minutes of questions and answers. It is proposed that 20 minutes will be put on the clock and we will proceed to rotate through the parties and groups of Independent Members. I ask people to be concise. I know the Minister of State has already answered some questions but we will try to get through some more. We will have one speaker per group and then, if time allows, we will go back around. Does anyone wish to put a question on behalf of Sinn Féin?

The Labour Party, the Social Democrats, People Before Profit and the Regional Independent Group do not seem to have representatives in the House. I call Deputy Pringle from the Independent Group.

One final speaker is indicating. I call Deputy Pringle.

The Minister of State has already made a brief statement and answered a lot of questions but the agenda allows for a five-minute closing statement if he wishes to make one.

A Fianna Fáil colleague of mine on Clare County Council, Councillor P.J. Kelly from Lissycasey, has repeatedly made the point about the Flemish decree. The European Union guarantees movement of people, yet in Ireland we still insist on people who apply for permission for a one-off house in a rural area to prove they are from the local area. In the south part of County Clare where I come from, not only do they need to prove they are local but also they need to prove they have an entitlement to live in a certain band…

I hope this Bill will pass the Dáil and the Seanad this week without too much ado. It is a very important Bill. It deals with a whole level of grassroots banking, that is, the model of the credit union, which for many generations has served Ireland and its people so well. There are three core objectives to the Bill. The first is to amend the Credit Union Act to allow for general meetings, which are prohibited under current health regulations, to proceed. Some of the amendments brought in will be permanent, and that…

I will address some points made by Deputies Bríd Smith and Gary Gannon. It is like Sesame Street economics. There is not enough money being given out and Deputy Gannon said we should tax more and the same points were made by Deputy Bríd Smith. She specifically targeted the pharmaceutical companies we are so reliant on now, not just for vaccines, but for our entire economic structure as we face down a pandemic and the economic ravages it has brought. It is reckless to come into this Chamber and speak like that and t…

I wish to share time with Deputy Neale Richmond.

Next week’s European Council meeting will deal with the European budget and the recovery fund, but Irish eyes will certainly be focused very much on Brexit. It was such a political gamble in Britain and it is finally coming to the endgame. Following what was stated earlier today by Michel Barnier, the next 36 hours are the most crucial of all, as Britain continues to dig its heels in on a number of issues, but most strikingly on that of fishing. The Prime Minister, Mr. Johnson, has taken a very simplistic, one-dime…

I was a schoolteacher until February. As a former schoolteacher, I never doubted for a moment the capacity of schools to be able to withstand the ravages of Covid-19. Yet, in the back of my head I was concerned that the mass gatherings of children and parents at the school gate every morning would lead to a spread of Covid-19. Great credit is due to our country's schools for the work they have done to minimise the spread of the virus and how they have managed everything thus far in what has been the toughest of all…

Yet again, there is huge uncertainty in the mid-west pertaining to the Shannon Heritage sites and whether they will be open or closed in the new year. I would very much like to know what proposals the Department has to engage with the Shannon Group to ensure these sites do not close and that jobs are not lost there.

It is very much a case of déjà vu or Groundhog Day, call it what one likes. Once again, the management of Shannon Group is saying that, due to the downturn in international tourism and ongoing loss-making, it will be forced to close iconic sites such as Bunratty Castle and King John's Castle from January onwards, and that these sites will remain closed until the start of the summer season. Bunratty Castle dates back to the 15th century and King John's Castle to the 13th century. The combined Shannon Heritage sites …

The Minister is correct that the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform awarded €2.6 million to keep the sites from closing last August. However, it subsequently transpired that the net figure in terms of meeting operational costs and averting closure from August to December was €550,000. If these sites were closed again in January, it would cost the State in the region of €1 million to keep the employees supported on unemployment payments. As the cost of keeping them open is €550,000, it does not make economic…

I am sharing time with Deputies Christopher O'Sullivan and Cahill. It is just over a week since Joe Biden was declared President-elect of the United States. The Clare Echo , a free sheet newspaper in my home county of Clare, ran a very witty headline regarding the election which trended nationally. The headline read: "West Clare hotelier loses out in US Presidential election." Truth be told, while we certainly appreciate everything the President, Donald Trump, has done for Doonbeg from a business point of view, we …

I understand that a pay freeze is currently in place for An Garda Síochána but reforms continue to be rolled out. Gardaí are the real knights in shining armour at the moment, policing our country during a time of crisis. Some feel that this is happening rather quickly and by stealth, without incremental pay changes. These reforms include the much-discussed Garda operating model and the roster and duty management system, RDMS. The four-day roster system has worked well during the Covid-19 pandemic. It has ensured be…

I thank the Minister for taking this very important Topical Issue this evening. Bunratty Castle in my constituency of Clare is almost 600 years old and King John's Castle in the neighbouring Limerick City constituency is almost 800 years old. These castles have withstood sieges, burnings and many battles waged outside their walls over the years. However, despite their physical bulk and durability, these castles and the beautiful folk park that adjoins Bunratty Castle do not, like many sectors of our economy, have t…

One of the Shannon Heritage employees to whom I spoke today said, "We want to work". The employees are hungry to work and everything should be done to save jobs and keep the heritage sites in the mid-west open. I want to know whether the Government will offer a continuance of the supports it made available to Shannon Group and Shannon Heritage last August. The Minister's response suggests that this mechanism may be open once again and I ask that he offer clarity in this regard. In addition, will the Government cons…

I fully support the Bill. The clock is ticking and we are now just seven weeks away from the UK leaving the Single Market and customs union. Prime Minister Johnson's cavalier approach to Brexit and the possibility of leaving the Union without a deal can be described only as a dangerous political experiment. It appears that appealing to the hard Brexiteers matters far more than doing the right thing by his country and people. The undermining of the Good Friday agreement in recent weeks has been absolutely reprehensi…

I support the Finance Bill because I believe it reinforces the Government's support for the economy against the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic and the continued risk of a no-deal Brexit. The Finance Bill 2020 sets out the legislative provisions to give effect to the tax measures announced in budget 2021. Clearly the pandemic continues to provide us with an unparalleled economic and social challenge, but we must also affirm our determination to support the economy and society more broadly, especially those secto…

I ask for an update on the status of planned primary care centres in County Clare.