One way in which we can help to relieve pressure on our front-line workers is by eliminating trolleys in our hospitals. In the past month, patients and trolleys are something we have again started to see within our hospitals throughout the country. We need to take action now to address the bed crisis. That is the very minimum we owe to front-line healthcare staff throughout Ireland. Take, for example, Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe. Since the start of June, on average eight patients have been on trolleys every…

With the onset of Covid-19 has come the realisation, at long last, across all sectors of society that broadband is now as important as electricity for every home in Ireland, regardless of location. Before the end of this year, we will see a basic fibre broadband offering in our cities, as well as villages and rural areas, of 500 Mbps. That is a far cry from the original proposal of 30 Mbps. All of us who are directly involved in the national broadband plan know that this project can be delivered far quicker than cu…

I thank Deputy Ó Ríordáin and the Labour Party for tabling this motion on another aspect of the housing issue which we, as public representatives, deal with on a regular basis. One of the things that I come across regularly is the issue of security for tenants in the private rented sector. As a consequence of getting a notice to leave, we are in the situation in respect of homelessness. I have that even in a rural constituency, particularly in the southern part of the constituency in Roscommon, Monksland in Athlone…

I thank Deputy Ó Broin for introducing this motion. It is refreshing for a change to be talking about an issue that came up on the doorsteps and in the House during the general election campaign instead of Covid-19. I congratulate the new Aire and wish him the very best of luck. If I can give him one small piece of advice, it is that he should take on board the constructive suggestions that come from the House. It should not be about opposition and government. The Dáil should not be treated as a dunce. Good ideas d…

I echo the comments of the Minister for Justice and Equality and colleagues here. On behalf of the Regional Group of Deputies, I express our heartfelt sympathy to Marty, Deirdre, Aiden, Brendan, Dermot, Padraig and the extended Horkan family. June in Castlerea Garda station would traditionally be ball hopping month – Connacht football hopping. Castlerea station services the crossroads of the football giants in Connacht - Galway, Mayo and Roscommon. Colm Horkan, who served 21 years as a garda in west Roscommon, woul…

In recent days we have all received hundreds of emails from people throughout the country regarding the Black Lives Matter campaign, a civil rights campaign that has its origins in the slave trade from Africa to North America. Not one of these emails references human trafficking, which is the third most lucrative illicit business in the world after arms and drug trafficking. Human trafficking, or modern-day slave trading, is a hidden crime. Its victims cannot or dare not make themselves known to the authorities for…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House today. I accept that he may not have the same level of detailed knowledge as the Aire Stáit on this matter. If he cannot answer a question I would be happy for him to come back to me on it. One issue I know is close to the Minister's heart and which we spent many a long hour in rooms together discussing is the voluntary home relocation scheme. I thank the Minister for his help in getting that scheme established. After the flooding we saw last winter, in the last few mont…

I thank the Minister and welcome the minor works scheme, which has been very successful throughout the country. The Minister's officials can revert to me on individual home protection schemes and the farmyard relocation scheme, neither of which has got off the ground as yet. I want to move on to a couple of other matters. The first is the fact that a number of communities are marooned during severe flooding because they have no road access in and out of their areas. That can last for a number of weeks or even month…

I thank the Minister, Deputy Bruton, for being in the House today. I have a number of questions for him. I will be parochial initially. I wish to talk about the just transition as it affects the employees of Bord na Móna, an issue I know is close to your heart, a Cheann Comhairle. Some 360 families are currently waiting for peat harvesting to take place this summer. That is dependent on a very complex planning process that must be completed by Bord na Móna. There is a potential safety net for those 360 families, wh…

I thank the Minister. I have now have asked the Taoiseach, the Minister for Finance, and the Minister with responsibility for climate action the same question on the operation of Bord na Móna with regard to the pandemic unemployment payment and the wage subsidy scheme. I was promised by the other two members of Cabinet that I would get a specific response but I am still waiting for that. I have two further questions which I will ask together as my time is limited. As the Minister knows, a substantial amount of work…

While agricultural production emits methane into the atmosphere, we also need to acknowledge that food production takes carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. The key issue, therefore, is not methane production but the increase in the overall volume of methane produced from agriculture. We must also note that throughout the EU, between 2005 and 2016 there has been an 9% reduction in overall cattle numbers. Those who focus on farming being the climate problem conveniently ignore this fact. In Ireland, our climate act…

I have several questions regarding nursing homes. They have been, sadly, the epicentre of deaths as a result of Covid-19. At the beginning of this health crisis, the decision was taken by the HSE to clear hospitals of older people and transfer them to nursing homes in anticipation of the surge of Covid-19 patients. This was deemed by the HSE "as a necessary risk". I believe, however, that this was deemed "a necessary risk" solely to avoid bed blocking in our hospitals. I would like to know what measures were taken …

I agree with the Minister that staff were clearly another vector. However, it took weeks before staff and residents of nursing homes were screened for Covid-19. As he is aware, 21 days ago I asked that all residents and staff be rescreened due to the inordinate delays in returning the original test results. The Minister promised me that would happen. When will the residents and staff of nursing homes be retested? I am so concerned by this failure to retest because the time delay between taking the original test swa…

I welcome the figures provided by the Minister in respect of the turnaround from test to result. That must be not the case just for positive results. Rather, it must be for positives and negatives. I have already given an example of a situation where a negative result delayed people being informed that there was no result for them and, as a result, there was a delay in providing a positive result. It is important that there is a swift turnaround time from testing to the receipt of results for both positive and nega…

I acknowledge what the Minister has just said. However, I took my concerns regarding the meat plants directly to the HSE six weeks ago in advance of bringing them up in the House. It was well aware of this a long time ago. That is all I will say.

I wish to take the Taoiseach up very briefly on the comment he has just made. I believe it is bizarre that we would consider an Estimate on Thursday which has implications for the rest of the year and yet Members are not to be provided with information as to the implications of that until there is a Cabinet decision next week. It was my understanding that we would have some clarity on both the PUP and the wage subsidy scheme in advance of considering the Estimate here on Thursday. The Taoiseach is now telling us th…

I do not want to hold up tomorrow's business. It is important that the Estimate is adopted. I have a very serious concern around the justification for the way the Minister will present to the House tomorrow. This is referencing the justification given last week by the Minister for Health as his reason not to come in to answer legitimate questions which I had raised here the week before regarding the operation of the meat industry which had been found to be correct. There is absolutely no medical basis for the justi…

First, I hope the Taoiseach and the other groups in this House can join with me in recognising that today is international Emergency Medicine Day. The response of all our medical staff during the pandemic, and particularly those at the front of house, has been exceptional. The Covid-19 crisis has shown the entire country how we should do things and how we should not. The greatest tribute we could all pay to our medical staff is to ensure that we do not go back to overwhelmed and overcrowded emergency departments wi…

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. I will come back to the comment made last week by Mr. Kieran Mulvey, the Government-appointed just transition commissioner, in his report. He made specific reference to the just transition fund. I am disappointed to hear that the ESB money has yet to be lodged to that account, but there is potentially €11 million available. My fear is that this issue will be kicked down the road. While we welcome Deputy Bruton's call for submissions, he might as well be calling out in Croke P…

Those due back to work after maternity leave are being told that they cannot avail of the wage subsidy scheme because they were not on the payroll in January and February of this year. This is even though they are technically still employees as they have not received their P45. By law, women on maternity leave cannot be discriminated against in the workplace, yet this is what is now happening, in effect, through the wage subsidy scheme in the case of women due to return to work since the lockdown was introduced. Th…