The Taoiseach is correct that we are not out of the woods yet and that we have to stick with it, but we also need to plan for post-Covid times. While we all hope that the current wave of infection that is now dissipating will be the last, we also know that it will take years for the country, and the health service in particular, to recover. Waiting lists are, quite understandably, at record levels. We need practical measures to relieve pressure on elective procedures and on accessing tests and diagnoses quicker. No…

Deputy Stanley has raised an important issue. The problem is that the homes designated as blue, while officially regarded as being in receipt of a broadband service, are not actually getting it. The national broadband contract is very clear on this. If people cannot get a commercial service, they are entitled, under the national broadband plan, to a service under the national broadband intervention arrangement. This needs to be recorded and reported by the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environmen…

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to amend the Civil Liability and Courts Act 2004 and to provide for related matters. Insurance fraud should never pay. It has a cost for each and every one of us. The difficulty is that there are no consequences if someone is found out to be making a fraudulent claim. There is no downside to bringing a fraudulent claim. While there have been cases of claims being thrown out of court, there has been no follow-up or penalties as a result. If there is n…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

As the Minister will be aware, Mr. Kieran Mulvey, the just transition commissioner, outlined in one of his reports the pristine condition of the two power stations in Lanesborough and Shannonbridge. Both of those power stations have a remaining lifespan of ten years. The Minister has asked the ESB to carry out a review of the feasibility of retaining the plants for some other energy operation. I am asking for a commitment from him that there will be an independent review of all available options.

Therein lies the problem. The board and management of the ESB are responsible for the future use of these two power plants. As the Minister knows, the report will recommend their demolition, which is wasting €176 million that Irish electricity customers right across the country have already paid towards their cost. There are alternative options. I said here last December that three separate proposals have been put forward, independent of the ESB. As the Minister knows, the Just Transition Fund approved by his Depar…

If the ESB is so committed to the midlands, why would it go to the regulator to seek to recoup the €5 million it paid over to the just transition fund expecting electricity customers across the country to pay for it? That is the commitment of the ESB to the midlands. All the local public representatives were told last month that the report will recommend that the two plants be demolished. The fact is that the ESB is compromised because it has a vested interest in both of the sites which is not necessarily in the in…

There are no jobs in battery storage

Yet the data centres are still being built in Dublin.

The problem of affordable housing is complex, and no single measure can promise a comprehensive solution. Last July, when speaking on this topic in the House, I stated that there are certain risks with some proposals and there will be unintended consequences but we must take those risks in the interests of the thousands of families across the country that do not own their own home or do not have a roof over their heads tonight. I accept that concerns have been expressed in many quarters that the shared equity schem…

In my constituency, the Bank of Ireland branches in Elphin, Strokestown, Ballygar and Dunmore are about to close. This is a significant blow to those communities which have been served by these branches. It will make it far more difficult for those communities to recover from Covid. In some instances, Bank of Ireland does not even provide an ATM in the towns on a 24-7 basis. Prior to Covid, many of these towns were beginning to reinvent themselves, especially with the opportunities provided through Government fundi…

Hearts sank across the country with the realisation that the current lockdown restrictions are to be extended into April, particularly now as the evenings lengthen and people get out and about more. The lockdown has brought people a greater appreciation of the recreational tracks and trails that we have within 5 km of our homes. What infuriates us all is the scale of littering and illegal dumping that is taking place in such locations. The public are relying on these amenities, yet thoughtless people are littering …

This anomaly in the legislation must be addressed urgently, as it is effectively allowing an open season for illegal dumping, including fly tipping, at a time when our citizens are reliant on these tracks and trails. The plan is to address the anomaly in the circular economy Bill. This will help to ensure that the processing of personal data, including video evidence, can be carried out by local authorities with an objective of trying to stop the scourge of illegal dumping. As the Taoiseach knows, however, the pand…

Last June I wrote to the predecessor of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, pointing out that Portiuncula University Hospital, in Ballinasloe, was in a desperate situation because it had lost 10% of its acute hospital bed capacity due to Covid-19 reconfiguration. The hospital took a very proactive approach with regard to it and forwarded two very specific proposals to the HSE. The first was to develop two separate modular buildings - one for the accident and emergency department that would segregate Covid and no…

I thank the Minister of State for his response and providing at least some clarity on this matter but we still will not have additional bed capacity as a result of that. I ask him to take that back to his senior Minister. There is no doubt that we need to get more vaccine into the country but we also need to ensure that when that vaccine comes it can be administered to people as quickly as possible. An online portal has been established for this process and that will be key to administering those vaccines. Currentl…

We have all heard the old saying, "The nearest to the church, the farthest from God". While I might be the Teachta farthest from the sea, representing the most inland constituency in the country, as the former Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment this is an area in which I have a great interest. I have probably taken an interest in this area where many of my predecessors did not because I see the great opportunity it presents. It is important that we consider and fully explore these opportuni…

Seven cent a day is what those working from home in 2020 will receive on average as a tax refund, and that is after submitting a year's worth of invoices for broadband, electricity and heating. That is a princely sum of €26.19 for a year, yet the AA estimates that working from home cost families an additional €210 on heat and electricity alone in 2020. The Government has promised a review of the current tax arrangements for remote workers in its remote working strategy published last month, but just 44 days earlier…

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, more than one person died every week in Ireland as a result of asthma. One in five children and one in ten adults in Ireland have asthma. One in 14 people in Ireland have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD. There is no doubt that these people are more likely to be hospitalised or to die as a result of Covid-19. Energy poverty has an adverse effect on health and cold, damp housing exacerbates these respiratory problems. I believe energy efficiency is the primary tool in tackl…

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "That" and substitute the following: The Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) (Amendment) Bill 2020 [Seanad] be read a second time this day one month, in order that the Minister may consider the desirability of tabling a motion to expand the scope of the Bill, where such a motion is deemed necessary, pursuant to Standing Order 187, in respect of amendments which revise the law to: (a) clearly reflect that pets are much more than property, and (b) act as a rea…

This morning, many people's hearts sank on hearing level 5 restrictions are going to continue for at least another month. Infection figures remain stubbornly high. Throughout this pandemic, hospitals have consistently been to the fore regarding new outbreak figures. Not only are hospitals reservoirs for infection of vulnerable people, but they are also sources of new infection in our communities. These outbreaks are taking large numbers of vital front-line medical staff out of our hospitals, leaving the remaining s…