I will listen to the Minister's reply before I contribute, to expedite matters.

There has been a lot of commentary about and criticism of the Government regarding the treatment of student nurses, even prior to Covid-19. If anything can emerge from this situation, particularly in terms of the review, it is how student nurses and nurses are treated. They are extremely dedicated to their vocation. The last nine months have been unbelievably challenging, not only for the student nurses and their families but the people that they care for. I hope the review will identify a number of issues. I was a…

I plead with the Minister that following the review student nurses would be properly paid for the work they do.

It is good that we are having this debate about animal welfare and, in particular, equine welfare. There is no getting away from the fact that equine welfare in Ireland has a patchy history, to say the least. I always come from the standpoint that the vast majority of horse owners are responsible with their animals. There is an element of irresponsibility which is borne out in sulky racing on roads, which nobody can defend. It is reckless and dangerous not only for the people on the sulkies but also the horses and …

We have clapped and saluted our front-line workers who have been at the coalface of this war against Covid-19. The vocation of nursing is facing its greatest challenge but it is also having its finest hour. When we, as a society, have needed them the most, healthcare workers have been there for us. The members of the nursing profession have a long, illustrious history of caring not only for their own profession, but also for society as a whole. They have seen the terrible impact that Covid-19 has had on their colle…

Anyone who watched the "RTÉ Investigates" programme on the treatment of greyhounds and the greyhound industry last year would have been rather sickened at the way greyhounds were treated. I imagine there are responsible greyhound owners in Ireland who would have been completely sickened by what they saw on that programme. Many people, including myself, would not have known how the greyhound industry was funded. The amount of money allocated since 2000 is staggering. More than €200 million has been granted to this i…

Before foregoing the question-----

Okay. Is it in order for Deputy Bríd Smith's question to be facilitated if possible?

That is fine.

I will be as brief as possible. I will support this Bill. Fair play to Deputy Ward and Sinn Féin for their work on the Bill. It is important that as Deputies and as a society we talk about mental health. There has been a marked difference in the past five years in talking about mental health issues. Sometimes, talking about something can halve the problem. This is about resources. A Vision for Change was published 14 years ago. The budgetary percentages were not fulfilled to tackle deficiencies in mental health ser…

I thank Sinn Féin for this motion. It is quite comprehensive and deals with all the substantial issues in this situation. I was thinking about what to say today and the irresponsible use of these vehicles, which are very dangerous, is a huge issue in the area I come from in Clondalkin. There are parallels between this and the epidemic of stolen cars in the mid-1990s. I am not going to go in-depth into how that was tackled but there is a wider societal issue when it comes to why young people need to do these activit…

First, I send our condolences and solidarity to Saeb Erekat, who was an international spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority and who passed away a number of days ago. Our solidarity is with Mr. Erekat's family. I wish to quote from a statement made last week by the Minister, Deputy Coveney, a colleague of the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne, on the demolitions of a Bedouin town in the West Bank. I will not quote it in full but I will quote extensive parts of it. The Minister stated: I am deeply dismayed to lear…

I do not doubt the bona fides of the Government with regard to the plight of the Palestinian people. We have a good record in this country. Our history is one of being colonised and brutalised and we always have a historical context for supporting the Palestinians. That is great but we must go beyond that. What are the consequences for Israel? The first consequence should, at a minimum, be the recovery of the €625,000 sought by the UN and Ireland to compensate for the destruction of some of the buildings. The secon…

Will the Minister of State call in the Israeli ambassador? Will he show him this photo? It is a war crime.

I raise an issue with the Taoiseach that has been raised numerous times in the Chamber in relation to Debenhams workers who have been on strike for over 200 days. It is becoming one of the longest strikes in Irish labour history. My colleague, Deputy Boyd Barrett, raised this issue with the Taoiseach last week and the Taoiseach acknowledged that the talks in the WRC did not deliver a solution. The Taoiseach said something has to be done. Regardless of political affiliation, I think we all agree that something has t…

I do not doubt the Taoiseach's bona fides in trying to settle this outstanding strike. The State should step aside as a creditor because otherwise the workers will not get the redundancy they are looking for. It is really important that something concrete happens. We can talk until the cows come home and have all of the platitudes we want but this is about will. It is like everything in life: if the will is there, things can be settled. Things are not as complicated as they are made out to be. The Taoiseach and the…

The women's health task force was established in September last year. What actions has it taken and will it take over the next three years?

The women's health task force is very welcome because in the past healthcare has been very patriarchal. It has let down women many times and women's healthcare in Ireland must be addressed. It is ironic that the task force was established because it was recommended in the scoping inquiry on the cervical screening programme after women had been completely let down. That should be remembered in the tribunal that will take place soon. What areas will be developed around gynaecological health? Will it address endometri…

One of the task force's mantras is that it will do radical listening on women's health. That is welcome. Women should be at the heart of women's health and they should be listened to, where not doing so was a problem in the past. Covid-19 has had a huge effect on everyone, regardless of gender, but I raise its impact on women's mental health. Covid has done a huge amount of social, physical and mental damage. How will the task force address that?

The position of student nurses in our health service is very important. There is a lot of exploitation where student nurses work on the front line. They feel they are being exploited and are not being recognised for their work.