I accept that.

I move amendment No. 7: In page 3, between lines 12 and 13, to insert the following: “Amendment of Section 7F of Principal Act 2. Section 7F is amended in section 4A by the deletion of paragraph (c) and the insertion of: “(c) In respect of each of the following applicable 3 year periods— (i) the 3 year period from 1 January 2023 to the end of 2025, and (ii) the 3 year period from 1 January 2026 to the end of 2028, the reference in paragraph (a) to 6 per cent per annum shall, as respects the applicable 3 year period…

People before profit.

Care Champions is an organisation that speaks for and represents many people who lost loved ones in care settings during Covid, as the Tánaiste knows. Its members are protesting outside the Dáil today. They have a number of asks, one of which is that we have, to use their words, a full and transparent inquiry into the Government's response to the pandemic and continuing care issues. They are asking for urgent reforms to ensure adequate resources, staffing and regulation for the care sector, including strong safegua…

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important issue. I was a member of the committee for a very short time when I replaced one of my party colleagues. The committee did its work diligently, sat for a long time and we had extensive discussions, disagreements and arguments on a range of issues. As has been pointed out, there was a majority committee report and a minority report, which I accept that some people took exception to. I had no objection whatsoever in principle to people who had a different view publ…

This is one of dozens of debates on disabilities we have had in this Dáil term. My party, Sinn Féin, has brought forward five separate motions on the issue of disabilities. On the Government's record, this is a government that put in place a capacity review. It was a ten-year review that set out how much funding was needed, what capacity was needed in terms of, for example, staff and resources for decongregation and what supports were needed for children and adults in all of the different areas of disability servic…

I welcome today's motion and the fact that we now have the DMAPs for the south coast. I am very supportive of offshore renewable energy and its importance to the future infrastructure needs of the south east in particular, but also the State and the island, as well as its importance for Ireland reaching its climate action targets, becoming more carbon-neutral and also in terms of new investment coming into regions. I met Waterford Port several times in the past two years. I have made it a priority of mine to advanc…

In 2019 I attended a meeting with the then Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, and Oireachtas Members from all parties in the south east. At that meeting the then Minister for Health committed to a national review of cardiac care. It was to look specifically at cardiac services in the south east, but also at wider services. I know that was disrupted by Covid and the work Professor Nolan subsequently did in the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET. My understanding is that the report has been with the …

We cannot compare apples and oranges. My understanding of the review is that it was into acute services, especially primary percutaneous coronary intervention, PPCI, services. It was to look at location and what regions would have full 24-7 PPCI services. There is a separate need for a new cardiovascular strategy that will look at prevention, community care and cardiac care in its totality. As the Minister well knows, the current national cardiac strategy has ceased. It has come to an end, so there is a need for a …

As I said yesterday, I welcome every single additional cent that is put into any area of healthcare, particularly cardiac services. We will wait to see exactly what funding is being allocated and from where before we pass full judgment on that. As the Minister stated, the genesis of this review was a meeting with the then Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, attended by me, Deputy Butler, and others. It was to look at whether full 24-7 cardiac care would be provided to Waterford. A second cath lab is in place,…

I asked a direct question about 24-7 services.

Can the Minister not answer my question?

The saga around the national children's hospital, unfortunately, continues. When the Minister gets to his feet, he might give us some indication from his perspective as to when he believes the handover will happen and when the hospital will open and treat patients. Is he satisfied that the transitional plans are in place to ensure that when the hospital is ready for the handover and is handed over, a proper transition plan is in place, whereby staff can be decanted from the other hospitals quickly and we can get th…

There is an obvious role for the contractor to resource the contract and I have called on the main contractor to do exactly that. I am interested in the hospital being built as quickly as possible for children. My main focus is on ensuring that we have a world-class, fit-for-purpose children’s hospital that is open and treating patients. The Minister used the example of a wall being built in someone’s house, but a houseowner would not accept all of these missed deadlines and would not just be telling everyone that …

That is no good to the people of the State who are still funding the hospital or to the children who need it. Does the Minister accept that the levers for holding the contractor to account do not exist? All the levers he has mentioned have been used before and clearly do not work. Does he accept that that has to do with flaws in the contract? Despite all of the tough talk and Ministers sticking their chests out and saying they will take on the contractor, we are no closer to the hospital being built than we were th…

We have done that.

The claims were right. A remedy was found that produced cuts.

They were correct.

They were correct.

The Minister is focusing on the cost. The claims about the grilles were correct.