This is the third time this week I find myself talking to a very nice set of curtains and a couple of television screens and it does not feel any better the more I do it. I am sure the Minister would rather be in the Chamber than the committee room. I wish to record my appreciation for the work that was done in getting those two payments up and running so quickly. I thank the staff in the Department who have worked on it and the community welfare officers who have been doing a really important job in dealing with s…

I appreciate that. I need to ask some further questions. If rent assistance is the primary focus, more resources are required because it is picking up the slack for the work that would have been done by local authorities through housing assistance payments. Many people who have never experienced unemployment are contacting me and asking questions about their rent. Those people never expected to have to look for a subsidy to help them pay their rent. There is a lack of information out there and it would be useful if…

I wish to say something on the briefing as silence is consent. I am of the same opinion that we require a commitment that there will be a full briefing. This is a huge sum and we must be fully apprised of it, and in good time, before people can debate the issue.

The decision tomorrow will be to give the permission of the House in relation to the Revised Estimates. There is scope to make subsequent changes. We need to properly understand that in advance of tomorrow's debate. That is why there must be an absolute commitment to a briefing. None of us wants to hold this business up. We all understand its importance. None of us sees this as normal. We are dealing with a very abnormal situation.

I believe most people would have expected a change as a consequence of the correspondence last week. That this has not happened is a problem. This was discussed in detail at the Business Committee. There is deep unease that there are two sets of rules depending on who one is, and that we expect people to do an eight-hour shift where the same sorts of issues do not impact. I do not want to hold up, nor will I object to, tomorrow's business. We do need, however, to square the circle in how we go on from here. It is n…

I find this really abnormal and I think it is a very bad look. At the outset of this crisis it is fair to say that normal politics was parked. Almost everyone sought a political consensus on decisions, which were underpinned by solid medical and scientific advice. It worked well because we all understood that the advice was coming from NPHET and was designed to save lives and protect everybody insofar as it was possible. I expect this is still the motivation. While Dáil sittings have recently resumed it is importan…

I wish to ask three groups of questions. I will try to make my questions as short as possible. On maternity leave, I note the Minister's comments to other Deputies on the legal aspect being under consideration. Is consideration being given to extending maternity leave as part of that process? Could that be done? It is not an ideal time to have a baby as the support that would normally kick in for the women concerned is lacking. Is that issue under consideration? Is the Minister considering other changes relating to…

I raised it as a separate matter. When we were dealing with the legislation, I raised the fact that it appeared to be an anomaly that the issue of persons with very compromised health whose workplace was open was not addressed. The Minister is not giving consideration to such issues.

I will revert directly to the Minister on that issue. Deputy Howlin raised the issue of a unified Europe-wide approach. That does not necessarily involve countries taking an individual approach but, rather, having the same approach across the European Union. All Members are paying great attention to the matters currently under discussion at European level. There have been several very interesting proposals, including the Spanish proposal which I raised with the Taoiseach last week in the House. It seems to be a ver…

Is a two-pronged approach being considered? Clearly there is the crisis impact, the crisis period of Covid at the extreme end and then there is the recovery component. Is a relaxation of the rules on the excessive deficit procedure being considered? Living within the fiscal rules would be a bit of a straitjacket in terms of investing or providing a stimulus in the form of capital spending on housing, sustainable transport, human capital and so on. Have there been discussions about that at this early stage?

I wish to move to a different topic now, namely the construction industry and the warnings we heard yesterday about the cost of capital projects. Given that has now been stated publicly, controls such as enhanced oversight of capital projects will be necessary pretty quickly. Is the Minister enhancing that capacity within the Department or are there plans to enhance that capacity? Is he talking to the State Claims Agency or any other agency in regard to beefing up what is needed to make sure there is not gouging, e…

I too express my sympathies with those who have lost their lives. Those deaths are an individual tragedy for the families themselves and it is all the more incumbent on us to make sure we minimise the risk into the future. We all agree that we want to move forward as quickly and as safely as possible to a situation where we reopen as much as possible of our society and our economy. The numbers are encouraging and we hope the trend continues in that direction. There is a significant job to do in terms of the testing…

Many firms and workers based in Northern Ireland are working on construction sites in the South. There is an issue with driving and moving between the two, because two different arrangements are in place. Is the Taoiseach in discussions with his Northern Ireland counterpart regarding that issue? Are there specific arrangements about next Monday and how that will be handled?

Are there additional financial resources available in respect of the Health and Safety Authority or is this just about moving environmental health officers across to undertake that function? Are there financial resources associated with that scaling up and are there real consequences for those who do not abide by the rules and standards?

That is fine.

I raised with the Taoiseach this morning exactly that same issue of the specific resources that would be available. It is intended that phase 1 will happen on Monday and provisions must be in place for Monday. I was told by the Taoiseach that I would be better to address it to Deputy Humphreys because she is the line Minister. I refer to the specific information on the number of staff who will be enforcing this. I accept there are many good employers with which there will not be an issue and with which this will wo…

I asked the Minister specifically about the numbers relating to the Health and Safety Authority. The Taoiseach suggested that I ask Deputy Humphreys directly because she is the line Minister. Do we have any knowledge of the additional resources or additional numbers of people that will be available to the Health and Safety Authority?

When the lockdown first happened, we were all getting phone calls about whether some employment was on the essential list.

I understand that. I am making a point. We will get phone calls on Monday, telling us that such and such a company in the construction sector is not complying with the protocol. Will there be enough people to go out and inspect if that is the case?

Some 200 cases have not been dealt with.