Scientists are to the forefront when it comes to helping us in the fight against Covid-19. The antigen tests that have been developed and are being rolled out in other countries have proven successful. Can we get an update on how this is going to be introduced in Ireland? Is HIQA doing testing on the tests? After we emerge from this lockdown, will we be in a place to be able to use antigen testing collaboratively along with our usual testing in test centres?

This time last year we were facing into a very different economic future. Business was thriving, cafés were full and a ticket for a concert or a GAA final could not be got for love nor money. What a difference a year makes. Today there are no concerts, no bustling cafés and in mid-October we still have not had a 2020 all-Ireland final. There is hope, however, and this budget provides hope, security and stability for those who need it. The wage subsidy scheme has been extended throughout 2021, giving people the comf…

Irish people are defined by their music, arts and culture. We thrive on this identity not only domestically but right across the globe. The arts, however, have been decimated by this pandemic and we must rebuild them. We can start small by allowing dance classes to return. We know that dancing bolsters physical and mental health. It improves posture and flexibility. It lifts our mood and it eases our anxiety. For children, dance classes offer so much more than just dance. They provide an opportunity to make friends…

I am delighted to have the opportunity to second this ambitious Bill. For too long, there has been an absence of regulations for professional home care. That cannot continue. Great trust is placed on home care workers. They have access to older people's homes and spend large amounts of time unsupervised with them. It is a credit to the professionalism of the home care industry that breeches of trust is not an issue in the sector, but that cannot be left to good fortune. There must be a level of oversight so that pe…

There is a real problem in my constituency. Many children in Lucan are having great difficulty getting to school. Social distancing rules have reduced capacity on our local Dublin buses and our school transport buses. What are the many small bus operators who run just one bus service a day supposed to do? It is just not financially viable for them to operate at half capacity. This creates a real dilemma for bus operators, children and parents. There have been situations in my constituency where children were litera…

I thank the Minister for working with the Garda to commence Operation Tombola one month earlier this year, which I welcome. This move will have a positive impact in places like Clondalkin, Lucan and Palmerstown in my constituency. We all love to watch a fireworks display but it should only be enjoyed under safe supervision and managed by professionals, not in gardens or greens with children just feet away from highly flammable products. It is not news that hospital admissions increase year after year at Hallowe'en.…

I thank the Minister of State for confirming that AA meetings are now being permitted under social restrictions. I raised this issue with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, on behalf of Councillor Kenneth Egan, who is an advocate and a champion for those in recovery. A dangerous new trend is emerging in my constituency. Parents are contacting me about their children using edible cannabis, a trend identified to me by the Clondalkin Drugs Task Force. Avoiding the foul taste of tobacco, young people are attracted to gummy…

Back in March, the message from the World Health Organization to all countries was to test, test and test. The Government has moved mountains to follow this advice to the letter. In the last week alone, 68,000 people have been tested. That is the equivalent of the population of Sligo now being tested every single week. That is what is needed to hunt down the virus, to keep it out of our nursing homes and to keep it away from our vulnerable people. Countless lives have been saved by swift and determined action by th…

We all know how badly needed social and affordable housing is. No one should be living in homeless hubs or caught in a never-ending rental trap. However, it is extremely difficult for people who are paying high rents to also save for mortgage deposits. Covid-19 will exacerbate this problem for many people, couples and families. When will the criteria for affordable purchase and cost-rental housing be published?

I thank the Minister for his reply. Unfortunately many people of my age and indeed many of my friends cannot afford to buy their own homes despite having good jobs. If the average worker cannot afford to buy a home then we are failing them. Today a person on the average industrial wage for a full-time worker can borrow just €175,000. That is not much use to a person who may want to live in Lucan, Clondalkin or elsewhere in my constituency. Will the Minister confirm that people on the average wage will be able to bu…

I thank the Minister. This is a significant issue for me and is one of the reasons I am here today. It is a massive issue for my generation. I want to work hand-in-hand with the Minister to deliver affordable homes for people across Lucan, Clondalkin and right across this country.

Comhghairdeas to the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. In recent months my local parks in Lucan, Clondalkin, Palmerstown and Rathcoole have become littered with strange shiny silver bullets. Many people were shocked to discover that these objects are the residue of a new drug abuse craze among young people. Teenagers are inhaling nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, from these bullets to get high.` While this craze is new in Ireland, we can see the path it leads to from the experiences of other countries. In…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is very encouraging that he has acted quickly by seeking a report from the HSE around the prevalence of nitrous oxide use in Ireland. Young people seem to have no idea that this product is killing and paralysing their counterparts elsewhere in Europe. I agree we need and education campaign so that they are aware of the consequences. We also need to start recording how many people are affected by abusing nitrous oxide. At the moment we are relying on media reports t…

Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Aire on her new role. Scoil Chrónáin in Rathcoole is bursting at the seams. Census data show very clearly that Rathcoole is one of the fastest-growing areas in the country. To keep up with this demand, Scoil Chrónáin erected six temporary prefabs on its playing pitch, which has deprived pupils of that facility. An additional two prefabs will shortly be added. Scoil Chrónáin has looked forward to securing funding for a long-awaited school building for 45 years. When the Department purch…

I thank the Minister for providing an outline of her Department's position on this matter and agreeing to hold the meeting. Unfortunately, the experience of schools in my constituency does not inspire hope. Scoil Chrónáin has been awaiting a new building for 45 years. St. Joseph's secondary school in Lucan has been awaiting a new building for 15 years. Scoil Áine Naofa and St. Thomas' junior national school in Lucan remain in prefabs. Lucan Community College has been awaiting an extension for as long as I can remem…

My question also concerns the Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Bill 2020. This is really important legislation which would increase the income threshold for those over 70 years to become eligible to receive a medical card. I too have received many queries on this matter from people in Lucan, Rathcoole, Palmerstown, Newcastle, Saggart, Brittas and Clondalkin. I would appreciate if the Taoiseach could outline when the Bill will be scheduled for First Stage and Second St…

Yesterday marked a milestone for many businesses across the country. It was fantastic to see businesses opening their doors after so much time and being available to their customers. Certainty is being brought back into their lives. I have visited many of my local businesses and it was stark to see people being served by staff who were behind visors or having treatments delivered by people wearing face masks. It is a visual reminder of how much society has changed in recent months and how much our businesses have h…

It must seem like a lifetime ago to the Minister when the decisive and courageous decision to shut schools was made at the beginning of this pandemic. We only need to look to neighbouring countries to see the impact that acting early and quickly has had; speed has indeed trumped perfection. The upheaval to the education system, however, has been massive. Who could ever have imagined that an entire year of students will not sit the leaving certificate examinations? However, decisive actions from the Minister and his…

The lockdown has been a challenge for many people but for victims of domestic abuse it has been hell. Their sanctuary is not their home. They find sanctuary when they find space away from home, and they have been robbed of that for months. Many people spent lockdown walking on eggshells to avoid violent and dangerous outbursts. Calls to Saoirse Womens Refuge in south Dublin doubled in May. Thankfully, their newest refuge, which opened in Rathcoole just six months ago, has provided much-needed safety and stability f…

Climate change is affecting 19% of the species that are categorised as threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list. This means that they are at serious risk of extinction. The Minister's Department, in collaboration with other bodies and experts, keeps watch on the red lists in Ireland. They include the curlew, the grey partridge and the corncrake. Each of these species is subject to ongoing targeted conservation measures. In Ireland red lists have also been undertaken for three grou…