I want to highlight the plight of carers of people with physical and mental disabilities. Elderly parents who are caring for their grown-up children have no access to day care centres or respite. It is the same for carers of people with Alzheimer's disease. The Rockmount centre in my own town of Kilgarvan, a wonderful facility caring for people with that disease, is closed. These carers are strangled, torn and worn. They have no respite and no day care centres to help them care for their loved ones. I am asking the…

I too wish to raise the plight of the publicans in places such as Kilgarvan, Barraduff, Rathmore, Gneeveguilla, Scartaglin, and Cordal. Very few pubs are opened in Castleisland. Other places include Knocknagoshel and Brosna, Currow, Fieries and Ballyfinnane. So much of that entire countryside is still in lockdown, as such. There are two aspects to the issue. There are the publicans, whose doors have been shut for all these months, who were employing people and would be employing people. As has been said before, som…

I too wish the Minister well in her new post. She is very fit. I saw her running to the Chamber yesterday evening and it was no bother to her at all. I will, however, be opposing and voting against this Bill because I am very worried about parts of it. This new Bill is dressed up to look as if it only deals with issues to help us deal with Covid-19. Centuries of legislation will, however, be abolished to appease vulture funds who want to evict Irish families or to take farms from farmers or property from commercial…

I also support this amendment. As an elected representative for Kerry and rural people, it would be remiss of me not to support this amendment. In doing so, I am supporting ordinary working people who may be in trouble with their houses and before the courts because vulture funds are trying to evict them. It would be remiss of me to neglect a farmer whose land may be taken from him. I support this amendment in order to defend any developer or landowner whose lands or factory building might be taken from him or her.…

That is fine.

The Deputy-----

Rural Ireland.

Rural Ireland.

-----was independent. They are our representatives.

You will-----

We are representing rural Ireland.

I just have a few questions for the Minister. As regards school transport, I am getting worried about what actions have been taken or what interaction has been had with school bus operators. I must record my interest as I own some school buses. I do not believe enough is being done to ensure social distancing, where, for example, secondary school students or national school children are to be taken from Kilgarvan into Kenmare. An awful lot of work must be done if the numbers on the buses are to be reduced because i…

Some schools, such as Gneeveguilla national school, are at maximum capacity. The community group in that parish is offering its hall or rambling house to the school, which is fully heated and is in great condition. The group owes money for its refurbishment but it has not been able to generate any funds this year as it could not fundraise. Such groups can offer halls or spaces. Obviously, they would like some remuneration for them. Would places like that be considered, given that the school is at maximum capacity a…

I too appeal to the Minister and support the calls to help the people who have been the bearers of our culture and whom we will need if we are to hand that culture on to the next generation. I refer to groups such as Siamsa Tíre in Tralee and people like Nicky and Anne McAuliffe, who have taught so many young musicians in Kerry. We cannot afford to lose these kinds of people. We need to see after them. There are also people like Mike Cronin and Mike Doyle who went around the whole Ring of Kerry playing music for a …

I have already spoken privately to the Minister regarding problems with the payment. Some people who were not working between 6 and 13 March do not receive the payment and I do not believe they will. They are seasonal workers. If the lockdown had not happened for a few more weeks, they would have been covered. Bus drivers at a standstill in January and February are not being helped by the wage subsidy scheme because they were not working then. There is another part to this. People had to be working in January and F…

Would it not be more appropriate if the period assessed for employers to qualify for the wage subsidy scheme was the period of the lockdown, from whenever it was to whenever the hotels got back working again? Would it not be more appropriate to look at that period rather than the period from when they opened a couple of weeks ago for the rest of this year? What is happening does not make an awful lot of sense. Perhaps the Minister could look again at that.

I am glad to get the chance to talk about this Bill. I congratulate the Minister and look forward to working with him. Knowing the approachable kind of man he is, we are at least going to be able to consult him and he will listen to us. The most important thing is that he listens to the voices of Deputies when we are relating the concerns of the constituents we represent. I welcome the extension of time provided for in the Bill. I must also declare that I am a connected person. I do not rent properties myself but I…

I also support the plight of the coach operators, both the tour and school bus operators. One group of people that have been forgotten is the drivers of these coaches. They got no coronavirus payment because they were seasonal workers, especially the tour bus operators. If the lockdown had not happened until 1 April, all of them would have been working but they have all been forgotten. Their stamps are gone and they have nothing to look forward to this winter. I appeal to the Taoiseach to ensure that those drivers …

They got no payment.

What about the drivers? Who will look after them?