Agreed.

That was the entertainment for today.

I raised privately with the Taoiseach earlier the issue of the iconic and transformative north quays project for Waterford. I know he is aware of the importance of this project. Planning permission was granted last week. The council has tried to get certainty on funding and the sequencing right for two and a half years, but this has still not happened. I spoke to the CEO of the council earlier, who is exasperated. It is very important for the future of Waterford city and the south-east. Can the Taoiseach intervene …

This has not been a good week or a good day for this chaotic Government and the Minister can add to her list the refusal of Government to support this motion. There are times when I wonder why we must be on opposite sides of issues and if the Minister was true to herself she would accept this motion should be passed. If she met the mothers, as we did, outside the gates of Leinster House holding their babies and talking about the challenges they have and the reasons these measures need to be put in place, she would …

I know the Tánaiste is aware of this issue because it was raised with him several times when he was Taoiseach. A number of different drugs were examined here: Primodos, sodium valproate and pelvic mesh. When in opposition, the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, called for an independent inquiry into these three medical interventions. We now have a report from Britain. The Government needs to establish an expert panel to look at that report so that we do not need to reinvent the wheel. These women want ac…

I commend the new Minister and wish him well. I send him my best wishes. Obviously, we want anyone who takes up high office and a Ministry as important as health to succeed. In 2009, I was a member of Waterford City and County Council when a presentation was given to the council by a group of healthcare professionals who were based in University Hospital Waterford, a number of whom were cardiologists. At that time - 11 years ago - they said we needed to expand cardiac services in Waterford for the entire south east…

I am sharing time with Deputies Ó Murchú and O'Rourke. Listening to Deputy Cowen, it is unusual to hear Teachtaí making what are programme for Government speeches on the floor of the Dáil even before the programme for Government has been accepted by the membership of their political parties. It is an unusual departure. It is also interesting to hear Deputies MacSharry and O'Sullivan raise issues in their constituencies that were not nailed down in the programme for Government. This debate is on the annual transitio…

When they record that, are reports then done on what the average rating might be for Government Departments? How much was spent on retrofitting Government Departments in recent years, even over the lifetime of the last Government, to improve the energy rating of Government buildings?

I accept that because the Minister is not really responsible for this matter and the Minister who is responsible for it cannot be here but my point is that this is meant to be a new departure in how we hold Government and Ministers to account on climate action. It is the transition statement on what Government Departments and agencies have done to mitigate climate change. One of the core functions of the OPW is to manage Government buildings. The Minister in the Chamber should be in a position to tell us how it man…

That is right. We will take seven, four and four minutes, respectively. The Minister of State said that we live in an uncertain world. That is certainly true but when it comes to Brexit, it feels more like Groundhog Day. We are again seeing the British Government trying to have its cake and eat it when it comes to a future trade agreement. It wants to be outside the club but enjoy all of the benefits. We are going around having circular arguments on all these issues and all the while, the clock is ticking. The Mini…

What would happen in the event of no deal? The EU is stepping up its preparations for a no-deal outcome. I referred to the second omnibus Bill. People will be concerned about what will happen at the Border. We have not had clarity on that from the Irish Government yet. In the minute she has left, the Minister of State might be able to provide some clarity.

I am delighted to hear that in next year's 2020 statements we may not see any huff and puff and Fianna Fáil will blow the house down and usher in a new level of transparency where we will have action plans, implementations and costings. I very much look forward to next year's implementation plan, if Fianna Fáil end up forming a Government with Fine Gael and the Green Party. I want to give way to the Minister, if that is allowed. I will ask him a question. If the Minister is in a position to answer and it is agreeab…

I refer to the page of the annual transition statement which deals with greenhouse gas emission projections. It sets out the targets and the binding limits that we agreed to, as a country, from 2013 to 2020. Our 2020 targets were that our non-ETS emissions to be reduced by 20% by 2020. The statement states that the best case scenario is that we may have achieved a target 5% or 6% below the 2005 levels. In the worst-case scenario, when oil prices are factored in, it may be as low as 0% or 1%. What was the actual ach…

I return to my specific question. I understand that this is cumulative and that up to 2020 - these things come in seven-year cycles - we were to achieve a 20% non-ETS reduction on 2005 levels. Are we going to come in on target? Will we have achieved that 20% reduction by 2020? It is a yes-no answer.

We are definitely going in the wrong direction. On the same page, it is stated that "the 2030 reduction targets", under what we signed up to with the EU, "require that Ireland reduce its nonETS emissions by 30% on 2005 levels by 2030". There is much talk about a 6% or 7% reduction in carbon emissions targets. Going back to something that was said earlier, we have not yet seen any modelling done by Departments showing year-on-year how that reduction in targets is going to be achieved. We have also not been given any…

It does not give us the answers.

Deputy Ó Snodaigh is getting ready for the big job.

I have four minutes. I will take two minutes and give the Minister two minutes to respond. There are a lot of questions. I want to follow on from the question Deputy McGuinness asked about technological university status for the south east. The Minister stated that the Department is working on it and that he wants to see the matter progressed. Since 2011, when I was first elected to the Seanad, I have raised this issue on a monthly, if not sometimes a weekly, basis. It is now 2020 and we are still no closer to a re…

Is the Minister in a position to publish the reports from the Munster consortium? Can they be made public so that we can see it was a transparent process? I am not saying it was not, but the questions are being asked. It would be helpful if we could see those panel reports.

I am sharing time with Deputy Brady. I will be taking ten minutes and he will be taking five. The Minister is absolutely right in saying that a failure to pass these Estimates today would create a real challenge for people who depend on all of these payments. We will certainly be supporting the Revised Estimates. We want a constructive debate so I will give way to the Minister if she wants to interject at any time during my ten minutes. The Minister will accept that pointing out what we see as problems, failures or…