If the Deputy wishes to shout, that is fine, but we are in the Parliament. She had her opportunity to speak and I am taking my opportunity to so do. I thank her for addressing me in such a kind manner.

The wearing of masks is an important issue. Many people, including me, get out of their car to go into a shop or to get petrol, suddenly realise they have forgotten their mask, and then go back to get it. Most people who do not wear masks do so inadvertently. It is not a determined action or an affront to other people. However, some people refuse to wear masks. That refusal puts the health of others at risk, particularly in enclosed spaces. It is very important that there are incremental measures which the Garda ca…

This is a very important debate. I will address the Deputy's last point first: the Government is playing its part in that it is the duty of the Government to pass adequate funding to develop the health services. In this huge crisis, we have a budget like never before. There are significant supports in place. There are issues with the HSE and how it is operating. I am very concerned about testing and tracing in my constituency. Two primary schools have contacted me this week. One had a positive test from a child ove…

The Bill is important and obviously I support it but it does not go far enough. We have gone through a very difficult year. People on low incomes and people with larger families have a very unsettled future and have had a very difficult past during this year because of how Covid has affected our society. The people who get Covid tend to be poorer and from more challenged economic groups. While I welcome and will support the Bill, it would be reasonable to extend the protections therein until the end of March, which…

I welcome the Minister of State and the legislation. Irish Rail has an excellent safety record. I will focus on an incident that occurred on 21 August 2009 on the Balbriggan to Pearse Station service. As the train, carrying 60 passengers, was crossing the Malahide Estuary, 20 m of the track started to collapse. Were it not for the professionalism and ability of the driver, not only would those 60 lives have been lost, the lives of those travelling on the trains coming in the opposite direction at a key peak commute…

This is a very important Bill. I agree with all of the sentiments expressed in the context of those who have suffered most. To them we owe the most truth and that is the core of what I believe, as does everybody in this House. This is not just about one political party but all of us together, as Irish people and as Oireachtas Members. We all want to vindicate the rights of the people who suffered so greatly and abominably in the mother and baby homes together with the terrible and appalling vista that was visited o…

I did not interrupt the Deputy.

The point is that we have to look at this in a comprehensive way. The Deputy should put aside his political points and look to the goodness and the honour of this society which , at the end of the day, will expose all the wrongdoing, evil and the heart of darkness in the church and other institutions which destroyed those people, body and soul. We want the truth to come out and I suggest to the Minister that that is what we need to do. The Attorney General has to give legal advice and so on but we can all solve thi…

Hear, hear.

I will take six and a half minutes. I welcome the Minister to the House. To be clear, he has been anything but silent, feeble or weak on this issue, and nor have the Government, Opposition parties in the House and our colleagues in the EU. Each and every one of those colleagues backs what we are saying, namely, that Britain must abide by the agreement it signed. The EU unambiguously and with total clarity fully supports this Government and the people on this island in their wish for peace and in their consent to th…

Louth is under threat from the rampant infection of Covid. From the mouth of the River Boyne to the county border in Carlingford, all citizens of County Louth are concerned about Covid because the infection rates are getting higher. There is a disproportionate presence of Covid in the county. For instance, in the Ardee electoral area, there have been fewer than five cases in the past 14 days whereas Dundalk has had over 60 and Drogheda almost 30. We want to support the HSE to ensure testing continues to take place.…

What is clear now is that the Slane centre is closing. The decision has been made. The Meath test centre is moving, I think, to Dunshaughlin or Ashbourne. The Dundalk centre is moving to Ardee. That is what is happening on the ground. The Dundalk centre is moving to an area equidistant from the two big towns of Drogheda and Dundalk, but that means more people will have to travel farther. I accept that the investment is there, that we must follow it through and that there are 37 full-time jobs there. It does not mak…

In view of the Minister's interest in fighting criminality in County Louth, particularly in Drogheda with her attendance at the protest following the barbarous murder of one of our citizens, the petrol bombing of homes and the intimidation of people, will she give us more detail on a very welcome scoping report for Drogheda to look at all of the issues with regard to criminality, crime, youth crime, youth supports, recreation and amenity and support for community organisations, exactly as happened in the north inne…

I welcome the Minister's statement and, as I said earlier, her commitment to Drogheda and the surrounding area. I agree with her that there is a drug problem and criminality in east Meath in towns such as Laytown, Bettystown, Mornington, Donacarney and even Duleek. This is the real change in our society in Drogheda. This is the first time the Minister holding the justice portfolio has cared and the first time the Government will act and significantly invest in the social infrastructure there, supporting areas that …

I believe this initiative will be transformational in our county, particularly in our town and surrounding area. I look at the young people growing up and the opportunities they need and which they have been deprived of in the past because Government policy has not invested adequately in employment locally. I welcome Amazon's building of a data centre in Drogheda, and there are good signs of increased investment in our community. Young people need to be shown the way, and they are willing to grasp the opportunities…

I welcome this legislation. From listening to the debate for the past hour or so, I sense a real consensus among all of us in this House to seek to move forward together. That consensus reflects the skill of the Minister and her Department in listening to the public, co-operating with Members and taking on board views from Deputies of different parties and none to arrive at the best plan to move us forward. The legislation is a credit to the Minister and her Department because it is proportionate, timely and necess…

Is mór an onóir dom a bheith san iomaíocht don phost an-tábhachtach seo, Leas-Cheann Comhairle Dháil Éireann. Tá sé an-tábhachtach go roghnófaí duine cosúil liom nó Teachta Connolly, duine a bhfuil an Ghaolainn aige nó aici agus atá in ann díospóireacht trí Ghaolainn a reáchtáil. Tugaim geallúint go n-oibreoidh mé go dian ar son gach duine sa Teach seo, is cuma cén páirtí ina bhfuil sé nó sí. Tá sé an-tábhachtach go mbeadh seans ag cúlbhinseoirí Dháil Éireann ach go háirithe a bheith páirteach go hiomlán sa Dáil. D…

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire agus roimh na hAirí Stáit nua atá in éineacht leis, na Teachtaí Byrne agus Brophy. Tá súil agam go dtiocfaidh feabhas mór ar an saol atá againn go léir de bharr an obair a bheidh á déanamh acu. I pay tribute in particular to our foreign service. When I use the word "service" I mean it in the best possible way. We can imagine a port city on the edge of the Amazon with a population of more than 400,000 people where a small group of Europeans are trapped during the Covid emergency. It is a …

I congratulate the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue, on their appointments. I pay tribute to the former Minister, Deputy Flanagan, and the former Minister of State, Deputy Stanton. I live in Drogheda town, which has suffered greatly as a result of a crime wave. The gardaí there are doing a fantastic job fighting it and are very tough on crime. In particular, Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan, Superintendent Andrew Waters, their fantastic gardaí and the community are fighting…

The programme for Government includes a commitment to the provision of a statutory home care service. Will the Taoiseach outline a timeline for the introduction of same? Home care is the ideal form of care for older people. Older people need a statutory entitlement in order to pay and access this urgently needed service. This will keep people out of institutions like nursing homes.