The business today shall be as set out in the third revised Report of the Business Committee dated 30 April 2020. In relation to today's business, it is proposed that, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders, the only business to be taken shall be the business as set out in the third revised Report of the Business Committee, with no Questions on Promised Legislation; between each item of business, the House shall suspend for a period not exceeding five minutes; No. 4, statements and questions and answers on Cov…

I wish to pass on my sincere condolences to all those families who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 since the House last met a week ago. The crisis continues and the sadness mounts as we continue to battle against this appalling virus. To reiterate, the Minister has our support in leading that fight, as do the CEO of the HSE, the CMO and all the workers on the front line and in support capacities in our health service. We also support the work of the NPHET. For the past week and a half, we have raised issues concer…

I hope there will be time at the end for the Minister to answer some questions. If not, I would appreciate it if I could receive some answers by means of correspondence. I first recognise the resilience and commitment of all the workers and producers in the agriculture sector in keeping our supermarket shelves stocked at this very difficult time. It is an industry vulnerable every year to various factors and with a pandemic thrown in, it is a testament to the sector that it can operate to the level it is at current…

This is my first contribution and I thank the people of Dublin-Fingal for placing their faith in me as one of their five representatives in the Dáil. It is an honour beyond words, and I will do my utmost to repay the faith they have placed in me. Since polling day more than seven weeks ago, the clutch of new Deputies, or even the more experienced Deputies, could not have imagined what we are facing now. We are living in a world that is more frightening, more insecure and far more uncertain. We have much work to do …

I spoke this morning about our concerns, which are held throughout the House, about personal protective equipment. Following on from Deputy Ossian Smyth's contribution, I want to focus on the dental profession for a moment. There is great concern among those in the profession. They believe they are still getting conflicting advice that is putting them in danger. The view coming from several dentists is that much of the work they do is elective and can be put off. They are willing to do emergency work that needs to …

The Labour Party welcomes the Bill’s elements concerning the moratorium on rent increases and tenancy terminations. It is common sense and will provide some comfort to people in vulnerable housing and tenancy situations in this scary time. It must be said, however, that we cannot have a scenario where landlords who have been given a break on their mortgage payments by the banks do not pass that on to renters and that renters accrue a debt through the next three months or beyond. This will only widen the wealth gap …