I am asking the Minister her position and views on the reopening guidelines for nightlife and entertainment and if she will make a statement on the matter.

First, we all welcome the reopening of hospitality, nightlife and entertainment, but I am sure the Minister will agree that the rise in the number of cases in recent weeks has been particularly stark. We cannot blame this on any single sector but, clearly, the reopening of hospitality has had a part to play in that. We also cannot ignore that mask wearing requirements are very lax in nightclubs. People are exempt if they are dancing, but that is what one does in a nightclub. It is one thing if it is happening when …

What sanctions can non-compliant businesses in food and hospitality expect if they are not adhering? Regarding the percentage that is complying, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, revealed last week that the percentage of people not having Covid certificates checked in pubs was 37%, which is quite high, and it was 34% in restaurants. That is quite serious given the way things are going. Again, what sanctions are there for businesses in food and hospitality that are non-compliant? Also, would the Mini…

I raise the matter of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan, appointing two of his pals to the Climate Change Advisory Council. I remember when the Zappone scandal happened that the Minister said lessons needed to be learned from this and we needed to make sure it does not ever happen again. An Oireachtas committee recommended that appointments to the council go through an open process. The Government collectively rejected that and now we know why. The Taoiseach let Fine Gael wal…

No.

There was no open process.

There is no transparency in the process.

The Taoiseach would turn a blind eye to anything.

Where is the transparency? Where is the process?

Where is the open process? It is the same old same old.

The Taoiseach would turn a blind eye to anything in his desperation.

No, they did not. There was no open process.

There was no open process.

Again, I wish to raise the issue of Sport Ireland publishing its guidelines last Thursday relating to underage indoor sport. The guidelines include provisions that mean unvaccinated children cannot participate in sport. I am sure the Taoiseach is well aware of the impact this has had on club basketball games. I wrote to Sport Ireland and its response was, essentially, that it is operating in line with Government regulations. Given that children are participating in physical education, PE, classes the length and bre…

Has he already been in touch with Sport Ireland?

Healthcare staff have done Trojan work since Covid first hit and their contribution can never be quantified. The entire country owes them a debt of gratitude. Their hard work and dedication got us through this crisis and they continue to carry out that work in exceptionally difficult circumstances. Levels of burnout and exhaustion are at an all-time high as healthcare workers face into another long, hard winter. Public hospitals are under enormous pressure, with personnel working in conditions of staff shortages, l…

October is breast awareness month. This is a very positive initiative in terms of promoting awareness and ensuring that everybody is breast aware. Early detection is absolutely vital when it comes to breast cancer because it saves lives. It is very important that everybody knows how and how often to check their breasts, what changes to look out for and what to do if one notices a change. In 2020, 3,704 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed in Ireland. Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer in women. One i…

The dental treatment scheme is on the verge of collapse right across the State. Some 200 dentists have left the scheme this year alone and more than one third have left the scheme since 2016. Despite knowing that the scheme is on the verge of collapse, neither the Minister nor the Taoiseach has done anything to deal with it. I will give the Taoiseach an example of what is happening right across the State. In Drogheda, we could find only one dentist who is still accepting patients with medical cards. That is in an a…

At what stage will the Minister intervene and engage with dentists? This has to stop.

It is fair to say that this week's budget was a huge disappointment for most people in this State. If people were expecting leadership, solutions or, indeed, any sense of urgency, then they were left very disappointed. The fact there was absolutely nothing - zilch - in the budget for renters is disastrous for tens of thousands of people who are struggling to pay rent or find a home they can even afford to rent. Is it that the Government does not understand the crisis for renters or is it that it simply does not car…