Ba mhaith liom mo dhíomá agus mo chuid feirge a chur in iúl go bhfuil sé leagtha amach go mbeidh díospóireacht srianta againn amárach ar feadh trí uair agus fiche nóiméad. Tá sé sin scannalach agus maslach agus nílimid chun glacadh leis. Níl sé féaráilte. Táimid ag fanacht leis an mBille le fada. Níl a fhios agam cé chomh fada agus atáimid ag fanacht - ag dul siar go dtí 2015 - agus fós, níl na leasuithe feicthe againn sa bhunpháipéar. Níl sé foilsithe fós ag Oifig na mBillí agus níl locht ar bith uirthi. Tá an loc…

Can I respond or is that out of order?

Go raibh maith agat. The Minister's answer is totally unacceptable. The committee worked so hard for those hours because the Bill was so deficient. We forced a situation where we brought in amendments, the vast majority of which were ruled out of order. The Minister was to come back and discuss with us the new amendments to save time but that never happened. We are now in a position where we have not even seen which amendments are ruled in and which are ruled out, and we are supposed to make a final decision tomorr…

We know the amendments but we do not know which ones are in and which ones are out. The main problem, in addition to that, is the limited time of three hours and 20 minutes. We have two problems: we do not know which amendments have been ruled in or out, and there is limited time.

Except that was the whole point-----

Tá seirbhísí faoisimh agus seirbhísí ionad lae á ardú agam. I am raising respite services and day centres, particularly in relation to Galway and the units in Merlin Park. They are not functioning. There is no respite services. Níl Áras Mhic Dara, ar an gCeathrú Rua, ag feidhmiú fós agus tá na Proinsiasaigh i nGaillimh oscailte ach tá siad srianta. I have to keep raising it because I have no understanding as to how we can let people drink and be merry and not open our essential services. If it is safe to drink and …

I will be as focused as I can. I will not be supporting this legislation. I did not support it initially. The only emergency legislation I supported was back in March of last year. I make my comments in the full knowledge that 5,249 people have died and that Covid-19 cases have risen again, with 1,124 new cases reported and 349 people in hospital. I make my comments fully aware of that and of the fact that the virus is still a major problem. This legislation was passed in July. It was introduced on 13 July and pass…

Is that agreed? Agreed.

Next is the Rural Independent Group. There are four speakers sharing time. I call Deputy Carol Nolan.

The motion is on childcare.

I thank Sinn Féin, in particular Deputy Funchion, for using its Private Members' time to introduce this motion, which I fully support. In the past 11 years, I have stood in three general elections - in 2011, 2016 and 2020 - and on two occasions, I had the privilege of being successful. I mention that because on each occasion the issues of housing, public health, public transport and childcare were raised. I see the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, nodding. At every pre-election meeting, the astronomical costs of…

Baineann mo cheist le Gaillimh 2020. An bhfuil sé beartaithe aon anailís a dhéanamh ar an €15 milliún atá caite? My question relates to Galway 2020. Does the Department intend to carry out any analysis off its own bat with regard to the €15 million, given the recent chapter from the Comptroller and Auditor General?

The advantage of being Leas-Cheann Comhairle is that I have read the answer. Forgive me, therefore, for being a little impatient because the Minister has not addressed my question. Does the Department intend to carry out an analysis, bearing in mind the 12 very succinct pages from the Comptroller and Auditor General, who pointed out that the Department had a nominee on the broad of directors but that nominee never received any minutes and had no role? The report stated that there was a nominee on the board with no …

The analysis being undertaken is costing €200,000. I asked about the Department. Let us consider what the Comptroller and Auditor General said. Recommendation 7.1 states that, "The Department should put in place robust controls to ensure compliance of future grantees with relevant grant management and reporting requirements". We have a situation where the Department is a nominee on the board of directors but is unaware of anything, which begs the question: why is there a nominee at all on the board? The second matt…

I, too, appreciate the Minister’s comprehensive answer and that she acknowledged that the arts sector represents an appropriate area for a basic income guarantee, because of the precariousness of the employment, that it includes a broad range of employment types and that the basic income has been successful in Finland, Germany, Canada, and France. The Minister has answered some of my questions, such as how many meetings have been held, and so on. However, I am troubled about what was published. The Pathways to Work…

I do not think I heard the date in January that the scheme would begin. Maybe I missed that. I am going back again to my earlier question. I am concerned, but I am not confused. I do not know where the confusion is, but there is confusion. The Pathways to Work Strategy 2021-2025, which was published in July 2021, proposed a pilot with a working age-based payment, or basic income guarantee in the arts sector, which would be modelled on the working family payment, WFP. The Minister mentioned that Social Justice Irela…

Is í seo ceist maidir leis na coláistí samhraidh. Is dócha gur thug an tAire Stáit freagra roimhe seo. Bheinn buíoch dá bhféadfadh sé é a rá arís, mar níl soiléiriú agam. Níl a fhios agam cén fáth go bhfuil moill ann ó thaobh na gcoláistí samhraidh de agus mar sin tá soiléiriú ag teastáil uaim.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire Stáit as an dá leathanach eolais agus tugaim faoi deara go mbaineann an chuid is lú díobh leis na coláistí samhraidh. Dúirt an tAire Stáit go bhfuil go leor oibre déanta agus go bhfuil go leor oibre le déanamh, agus go bhfuil ceistneoir i gceist. Ní thuigim an mhoill leis seo. Tá an tuarascáil ón gcomhchoiste Gaeilge againn, agus mar is eol don Aire Stáit, is ball den choiste mé mar aon leis an gCathaoirleach Gníomhach, an Teachta Ó Cathasaigh. Tá 23 moladh ann agus ní raibh aon easaon…

Maith dom é má tá mé soiniciúil maidir leis an bhfreagra go bhfuil go leor déanta agus go leor le déanamh fós. Cathain a bheidh an obair seo críochnaithe? Cén dáta atá i gceist? Tá sé sin tuillte agam mar Theachta Dála. I bhfianaise thábhacht na gcoláistí samhraidh don cheantar uilig agus don Ghaeilge agus an ghéarchéim atá ann ó thaobh na Gaeilge de, tá gá le dáta ann. B’fhéidir go bhfuil sé casta; níl a fhios agam cén fáth go bhfuil sé. D’éirigh leis an Roinn pacáiste a chur ar fáil an bhliain seo caite. Táimid s…

Baineann mo cheist le hÚdarás na Gaeltachta agus leis an gcóras monatóireachta atá aige ó thaobh na Gaeilge de maidir lena comhlachtaí a thagann faoi chúram an údaráis. An bhfuil an córas monatóireachta cuí don fheidhm; is é sin chun a chinntiú go bhfuil an Ghaeilge i lár an aonaigh sna monarchana uilig?