I thank the Tánaiste and I thank Deputy Ring for reactivating the scheme.

I am glad to have this opportunity to speak to this Bill dealing with the emergency Covid prevention measures in the workplace. It is fine to talk about schools in the context of the Bill but that aspect is being used to bring the same regulations into businesses. That is my worry. Private businesses, the small employers, are struggling to cope with every kind of an increase in the cost of insurance and fuel to keep workplaces warm. If such a measure were to be introduced, we need to know the cost of it and how muc…

The Government made an announcement yesterday evening that nine-year-olds must wear masks in school all day, every day. This has serious repercussions for many mothers, parents and youngsters because many of them have asthma, Covid and respiratory conditions affecting them. The Minister for Education has said they must go to school unless they get a letter of exemption from their doctor, but no one contacted the doctors about this. In our area you must have an appointment with a doctor. The doctor will not give thi…

It is very easy to make an announcement if you do not do the background work.

This is a serious matter, and many mothers have been on to me this morning.

They are recovered from Covid and they have not had time-----

They are recovered from it but they are still not 100%, if the Taoiseach understands me.

They have respiratory problems and they cannot wear masks for six or seven hours every day.

I said they had it, not now.

Will the Taoiseach take this up with the doctors?

There is no point in smiling about it. It is a serious problem.

I am, and I am a good friend of the people who ask me to do things for them and to raise things in here on their behalf. It is no good to me to see the Taoiseach smiling about this. The Government will do nothing about it, God damn it, man. The Government has not-----

I appreciate what the Minister is trying to do here in Dublin with regard to housing. I appreciate the urgency and the number of people who are looking for housing. I know there is a very real problem and that his number one consideration is to deal with that and to get the numbers down. I raised an issue here in the Dáil with the Taoiseach a week or two ago. I was grateful for the Minister's response at the time but it is not the response I want. Heretofore, there were always extensions of five years to planning p…

I concur with Deputy Michael Collins in his point in relation to fishermen's incomes. Their situation is bad enough as it is. It cannot make their situation any worse. When one sees how expansive Ireland's shores are, we realise how far-reaching the Bill will be. The sea is all around us. One can barely think of what is involved because there is so much involved, especially with our piers and harbours. People hope the Bill will not impinge on people's rights in using the sea, which they have been doing in different…

I am also concerned about wind turbines out in the bay and where they will be placed. If they are impacting on fishers and trawlers it would not be helpful. There are many other issues around where they are sited and of course planning will decide that. We are all for more energy and more renewable energy but it must be fair to the people who are depending on the sea for their income, in whatever way that is. I hope the Bill will not be against locals in anyway. I will be watching intently as to what happens in tha…

Regarding the spread of the virus, an awful lot of attention is now being directed towards children attending national school. Nine-year-olds must wear masks all day and five-to-11-year-olds may be vaccinated. Parents are very worried about this. Today there is no PCR test available in Kerry. The nearest place to take a test today is Shannon Airport. There is no booster available in Killarney, only Tralee, so all the people from south and east Kerry must go to Tralee. A family of seven were quoted €700 to go to the…

They are not available in Cork either today.

I am not telling lies. That is the story today. A family of seven would have to pay €700 in the Bon Secours hospital.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle, and it is good to see him back in action again. I thank the Minister for giving this €88 million. The only regret I have is it is a reduction of €8 million from last year. We all know the cost of everything is going up. Why do we have to come in here every year to approve this spending? Should there not instead be a standing order that the horse racing and greyhound industries would get their money every year? I ask that because these industries return these funds back to the coffers in…

I thank Sinn Féin and Deputy Kerrane for bringing this very timely motion and allowing us to speak on it tonight. I will be supporting this motion. I honestly feel the services we have are good enough. While perhaps at times they could have been better, I am very worried that what we will get will be worse. When something is for profit, I am afraid the people who will suffer are those who are on the margins and seeking employment in trying to get going. We know how people are fixed after the virus and the lockdowns…