We saw what happened here today. The Deputy is shameless and people see through it.

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter and for the manner in which she did so, because this is a serious issue. I reiterate that much progress has been made since January on many issues. This has been recognised by SIPTU. The report on the retained fire service received more than 1,000 submissions, many of them coming from firefighters. The main remaining issue is that of pay and the retained payment, which is too low. I have said this. It is certainly too low. I am committed to doing everything I can…

I commissioned that review. I started this process.

We are a way down the road and I believe we can get there.

I regularly speak to firefighters. I know many of them, right across the country. I have visited many fire stations in many counties. There are two retained fire services in my area of Fingal, in Skerries and in Balbriggan. I know there is a way through this situation. We need it to de-escalate it. What I have said repeatedly is that there has been agreement concerning most of the work done through the retained fire services report. Pay remains the last issue. I cannot ignore the fact that there is a national pay a…

I thank Deputy Berry. He is correct. The schemes have worked well. We would like to see them expanded further across the country. We have added to them with the Croí Cónaithe vacancy and dereliction grants. We have had nearly 2,000 applications in this regard and these schemes are working well. Urban regeneration and development funding, URDF, is also available in our regional towns and in our cities. It amounts to €2 billion. Additionally, the RRDF is very effective, including the town and village renewal scheme. …

I, too, would like to welcome Cara and congratulate her on her fantastic achievement. Doing leaving certificate maths at 12 years of age is incredible. She brought one ray of light into the Chamber today. It is great to have her here. On the fire service, it is not a Dublin versus outside of Dublin issue.

Ah stop, Mattie. You come in and-----

Are you serious about this matter or not?

Do you want to hear what I am going to say? We are engaged. It is a very serious matter. I have already explained to the Deputies who wanted to listen and did not want to engage in stunts here today that we have gone a long way down the road in the retained fire service review, which has been welcomed by SIPTU. The last piece is pay. I am committed to resolving that. Contacts are being made. There is a way out of this, through the apparatus of the State, namely, the WRC. I ask SIPTU and other representatives to re-…

Today is Thursday. In between Thursday and next Tuesday are Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. We have time to do this.

I thank Deputy Cahill. At the outset, he has given me an opportunity to thank pharmacists for all of the work they do every single day, in particular through Covid. If people did not realise how important our pharmacists and their staff are, they certainly do now. I met the community pharmacy sector in my constituency recently to discuss this issue. I have corresponded with the Department of Health about this and I will raise the matter directly with the Minister for Health on foot of the Deputy's intervention toda…

I thank Deputy Farrell for raising this issue. He will be familiar with the work we are doing to provide funding for 1,000 new gardaí this year. We are seeing Garda recruits enter Templemore every 11 weeks. However, I agree completely with the Deputy on mandatory retirement. People who could carry on their current or any other post within the sector effectively have to retire. We have also seen issues with regard to civilian personnel who are about to retire, and some of those posts have not been replaced. I have s…

Which billing department?

I regularly engage with Uisce Éireann on many issues, and if the Deputy submits to me details of some of the examples she has, I will be quite happy to look into it and engage with Uisce Éireann on her behalf.

I have outlined very clearly what has been done, what progress has been made, and what issues are outstanding. Absolutely, the issue of pay remains outstanding. I have given a commitment that I intend for that to be dealt with as part of the public sector pay talks, which start next month. I am not trying to score political points but it is a fact that the Deputy's party leader, when she raised the matter earlier this week, talked about parties re-engaging with the WRC and with the State apparatus that is there to …

It is of course a really serious issue for the workers and their families. That is why the Ministers, Deputies Coveney and McEntee, met the company on Tuesday, 13 June. The Minister of State, Deputy Thomas Byrne, and Senator Shane Cassells visited the mines yesterday and I can inform the Deputy that the Minister, Deputy Coveney, who has come back from a trade mission in France, will meet the management of Tara Mines again.

Éist liom nóiméad amháin. The really important thing that has been confirmed is that, according to the company, the closure is temporary. Second, it is not due to the energy prices, and the company has confirmed that.

I do not know whether Deputy Tóibín has gone out to the mines.

I am aware other colleagues in the Deputy's constituency have been out to Tara Mines and have met people and with management and staff directly and have got the facts of the matter. Our main concern is trying to work for those 650 workers and families to make sure we can help them through this very difficult time-----