I am pleased that the Minister has acknowledged the extent of our reliance on those voluntary sectors. This highlights one of my questions. Does the Minister acknowledge that maybe there is an over-reliance on these organisations having to fundraise? The State should not abdicate responsibility in that sense.

Since becoming a public representative, I have been contacted time and again by victims and survivors of domestic abuse, as I am sure the Minister and everyone else in the Chamber have. I am sorry to report I have also been confronted time and again with the inadequacies of the State's response. As the only female Cork Deputy, I feel obliged to raise this issue again. The cold, hard truth is that the restrictions of the Covid-19 emergency leave women, children and men at increased risk of domestic abuse. It is impe…

Is the Government looking at keeping that firewall in place outside of this emergency?

Before this emergency, towns and villages throughout rural Ireland were suffering the closure of small businesses, post offices and banks, and now the remaining shop owners are terrified that they will never recover from the impact of Covid-19. Rural Ireland and small businesses need a co-ordinated response to survive. Departments, local authorities and businesses need to work together. I am surprised and disappointed, therefore, at Cork County Council’s persistence in developing a Kildare Village-style retail outl…

Will the Minister of State explain the criteria for making the decision from the Department's point of view?

What are the criteria for making the decision?

Does the-----

In the past, has the Department ever gone against the recommendation of the Office of the Planning Regulator?

It is one of the first.

Is that why there are no criteria?

Will the Minister of State send that information to me-----

-----when he has it?

This proposed development flies in the face of that.

I have three questions, two for the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Creed and one for the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Humphreys, which I would like to be answered in that order. When we last met here three weeks ago, I raised three issues, namely, workers rights, the vulnerability of our food supply chains and the need for transformative change in the sector in advance of future crises similar to Covid-19. I did not get clear answers so I am back again, unfortunate…

The third was for the Minister, Deputy Humphreys.

The Minister alluded earlier to the fact the co-operatives in the beef sector are not working due to a lack of profit. I am wondering what the Minister is doing to actually tackle this.

What is the Minister doing to tackle that?

That needs to be turned into an action.

Non-EU migrant workers' residency often depends on their jobs. It is not the same situation for everybody.

I join other Deputies in expressing sympathies to the families of all those who have passed during the pandemic and in paying tribute to all essential workers. Compared with education, health or housing, food is rarely thought of as being an area of public policy, but it is. It has taken this crisis for many people to realise the importance of our food producers and retail workers. It has forced us to ask where our food comes from and it has exposed our vulnerability in terms of food security. The flour shortage be…