I welcome this legislation and, in particular, the long-awaited increase of three weeks per parent of parent's leave and benefit. I will take this opportunity to acknowledge and commend the work of the Extend Maternity Leave 2020 campaign group, which has fought hard for additional supports for parents, in particular new ones, since Covid hit this time last year. When debating this legislation, it is important to acknowledge all of the parents who had a baby before or during Covid and who have been left in a diffic…

I want to ask the Tánaiste about time lost on the community employment, CE, Tús and the back to work enterprise allowance schemes. Many participants have lost time in regard to normal training opportunities and work experience that would be a big part of those schemes because of Covid. While I appreciate announcements have been made by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, in regard to community employment in particular, as current participants have lost time and have not had all the benefits of the…

I thank the Minster for his statement. First, I wish to raise a few issues that I have been dealing with locally in respect of social care students. I welcome the Minister's earlier response to me in relation to this issue. As the Minister knows, the social care students have 800 hours of placement to be completed within their course time. Obviously, at this time, because of Covid, and indeed for the last year, there have been huge difficulties in completing those 800 hours. I was quite concerned to learn that clea…

The decision of Bank of Ireland, following in the footsteps of Ulster Bank just a few days previously, is about so much more just than bank closures. For towns in my constituency like Ballygar and Dunmore in County Galway and Elphin and Strokestown in County Roscommon, and the communities who live in them, it means the end of local banking services. The consequences of that for those communities are far greater than just banks closing their doors. As happens quite regularly, this decision was made without any consi…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide that regard be had by public bodies to the desirability of reducing socio-economic and other inequalities suffered by those in rural Ireland, to provide for the carrying out of rural impact assessments in respect of measures that are likely to have a significant socio-economic impact or effect on rural Ireland and to provide for related matters. I am delighted to introduce this Bill as a Member who is lucky enough to live in rural County R…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Like others, I want to ask the Minister about the ongoing crisis facing our beef farmers. I would like him to provide some detail on the outcomes from the beef task force to date. I know it first met in December 2019. What has been achieved to date for beef farmers through that forum because there appears to have been no progress on the two main issues that beef farmers have repeatedly raised, namely, the rules around the four movements and the 30-month rule. Last week, I met a group of farmers known as the Indepen…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes that: — 475,364 people received the Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) last week, an increase of 15,443 on the previous week; — the society of St. Vincent de Paul estimates that energy poverty affects one in six households in Ireland, and is concerned that a significant proportion of households will be in energy debt as we emerge from the Covid-19 pandemic; — a person who loses their job cannot access the Fuel Allowance until they are in receipt of a Jobseeker’s payment fo…

I am bitterly disappointed with the Government's response to this motion. There is nothing new at all in its amendment. I have read the real-life stories of people who are struggling to pay their bills. There is nothing for them in this amendment. I have repeatedly raised the issue of fuel costs with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. My first ask related to the 15-month rule. This means that if one loses one's job tomorrow, one will typically get €203 in jobseeker's allowance. This can represent a very great reductio…

Vótáil.

I join with my colleagues in welcoming the extension of the employment wage subsidy scheme at the existing rates. I note that a similar announcement has been made on the pandemic unemployment payment, which is welcome. In the case of the PUP, the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, has said that in the coming weeks the Government will be looking at a possible extension beyond 31 March. It is now February, so I ask that the Minister would do likewise for the EWSS. It is important that workers and families have a bit of cert…

I will allow time for the Minister and Minister of State to respond. I join with them in paying tribute to the Department of Social Protection staff, who have clearly been working under extreme pressure since Covid first hit and are due great credit for the work they have done. I always find them to be extremely helpful and I thank them for all their service in this last year. My first questions relate to the PUP. I acknowledge what the Minister has said about a possible extension. As we all know, the PUP is due to…

I want to raise with the Taoiseach the ongoing flooding at Lough Funshinagh in County Roscommon. One family home has already been abandoned and 600 ha of farming land and livelihoods are under water. As I stand here, two additional family homes are under immediate threat of flooding. These are the homes of an elderly couple in their 80s and a mother in her 70s. So far, a hosepipe at both homes is the only thing protecting them from these floods. What as public representatives are we doing here today when elderly pe…

We need this water drained and we need it today.

I wish to ask the Tánaiste about the three weeks parents' leave and benefit that was announced in the budget more than three months ago. As the Tánaiste will be aware, many parents are waiting for this. The only option available to them up to now has been to take unpaid parental leave, which many simply cannot afford to take. Many parents, especially those who have had new babies, have not been able to return to work after the paternity leave has ended. They have been left with no option. They cannot access childca…

After being closed on a temporary basis in 2017, Castlerea fire station in my constituency was permanently closed last July. I raised the matter here at the time. In parliamentary question replies and correspondence to me since, the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, consistently stated the fire station was closed due to internal staffing matters. He is either being misled or misinformed because I attended the council meeting at which the announcement was made and it was done following a review of the fire ground in…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. I am delighted to contribute to these statements. I am very conscious, as I do so, of the many young people right across the State who have missed out on so much both last year and this year. I was lucky enough to go to college. I attended NUI Galway, thanks to many sacrifices made by my parents. The experience that I had is the experience that has been missed both last year and this year by so many students and I am very conscious of that as we discuss this issue. I begin…

Will the Minister consider providing a scheme through her own Department to improve town centres in rural areas so that we can tackle high levels of vacancy and dereliction?

That is really welcome considering what I read in the report produced following the pilot scheme for the town centre living initiative. The Minister will know there were a number of findings on difficulties tracing owners. Issues might arise where an owner passes away and there is no will. A number of such issues have been identified. Additionally, it was found there is a lack of finance available to renovate properties. I realise that there are local authority schemes but we really need to explore specific schemes…

I welcome that. It is so important. In Ballinasloe, County Galway, great enhancement works have been completed just recently. The streets are all looking really well. An awful lot of work has gone into the project but there is an issue with vacancy. We need to explore steps to address this. Where there are difficulties with owners, which is an issue nine times out of ten from my experience, we need to consider ways to get around them. I welcome the statement that the findings of the report will be examined. I look …