It is proposed, notwithstanding anything in Standing Orders or the Order of Business of yesterday, that (1) the following revised arrangements shall apply today in relation to the number of rounds and speaking arrangements on the statements on the post-European Council meeting of 17 and 18 July 2020: the item shall conclude within two hours 20 minutes and shall be confined to two rounds of statements, followed by a questions and answers session, and a five minute wrap-up by the Minister, the opening round of statem…

Tugann an Rialtas aitheantas do thábhacht na Gaeilge mar chéad teanga an Stáit, mar theanga bheo agus mar chuid dár n-oidhreacht. Tá réimse gníomhaíochtaí curtha i bhfeidhm ag an Roinn cheana féin chun dul i ngleic le dúshláin Covid-19 mar a bhaineann siad leis an Ghaeilge agus leis an Ghaeltacht. In Aibreán, fógraíodh nach mbeadh cúrsaí foghlama Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht ag dul ar aghaidh an samhradh seo, mar a bhí beartaithe acu, ar mhaithe le sláinte phoiblí a chosaint. Ag aithint go mbeadh tionchar mór ag an gcinne…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an ábhar tábhachtach seo a ardú. Ní raibh an t-am agam an t-eolas iomlán a thabhairt dó i mo chéad fhreagra. Leanfaidh mé ar aghaidh le cuid den eolas seo. Tá soláthar iomlán de €23.652 milliún curtha ar fáil ag an Roinn d’Údarás na Gaeltachta i 2020. Baineann €10 milliún den soláthar seo le buiséad caipitil na heagraíochta chun fostaíocht a chruthú. Sa bhreis ar sin, tá ciste suas le €10.484 milliún san iomlán curtha ar fáil don údarás faoin gciste um athghiniúint agus forbairt …

Tá ceist eile ag an Teachta faoin ábhar seo a bheidh mé ag freagairt níos déanaí. Tuigim go bhfuil deacrachtaí agus dúshláin romham agus teastaíonn uaim aghaidh a thabhairt orthu. Tugtar aitheantas sa chlár Rialtais do thábhacht na Gaeilge mar theanga bheo agus cuid luachmhar dár n-oidhreacht agus dá stádas mar chéad teanga oifigiúil an Stáit i mBunreacht na hÉireann. Maidir leis an bpróiseas pleanála teanga, tá 18 plean ceadaithe sa Ghaeltacht cheana féin agus tá sé beartaithe go mbeidh ocht gcinn eile ceadaithe t…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as na beannachtaí. Le dul siar go dtí an t-iarratas ar eolas maidir le maoiniú i gcomhair Covid-19 ón Teachta Ó Snodaigh, tá an tAire, Teachta Catherine Martin, agus mé féin ag plé lenár gcomhghleacaithe sa Rialtas faoi láthair chun tacaíochtaí breise a sholáthar don Ghaeltacht mar chuid den phacáiste mhí Iúil atá le fógairt an tseachtain seo. To return to the question asked by Deputy Dillon, Údarás na Gaeltachta encourages investment in the Gaeltacht to arrange financial and non-fi…

I thank the Deputy. Both of my parents are from the same county as the Deputy and I absolutely want to support the Gaeltacht region. The Minister and I hope to visit the area in the coming period. I acknowledge that there difficulties with the present funding situation. Officials in my Department are engaging with officials in the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation which funds the scheme. Those officials will continue to pursue this matter as a priority. As the Deputy mentioned, Údarás na Gaeltachta …

Údarás na Gaeltachta has been engaging directly with Gaeltacht businesses to support them and their staff through these challenging times. The authority is working alongside Government, State agencies and the Gaeltacht community on a cohesive approach to the Covid-19 crisis. Údarás na Gaeltachta continues to advise clients on contingency planning, financial planning, liquidity issues and recovery strategies. Údarás na Gaeltachta and the local enterprise offices have a good working relationship at local level. This …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as na beannachtaí. Gabhaim buíochas leis as an gceist freisin. Is iad aidhmeanna an chiste d’ollscoileanna idirnáisiúnta dea-thoil i leith na Gaeilge a chothú agus a chur chun cinn lasmuigh den Stát, trasna na hEorpa, sna Stáit Aontaithe Mheiriceá, i gCeanada agus níos faide ó bhaile agus ardán a chur ar fáil ionas gur féidir teacht ar an nGaeilge agus í a chur i lár an aonaigh mar theanga idirnáisiúnta. Cothaíonn sé tuiscint níos fearr ar an teanga agus ar chultúr na hÉireann lasmu…

Tuigim tábhacht an ábhair seo. Is mór liom an cúlra agus na mionsonraí ar thug sé dom ina chuid cainte. Go ginearálta, cuireann an maoiniú sin go mór leis an teanga. Cruthaíonn sé tuiscint níos fearr ar an teanga agus ar chultúr na hÉireann lasmuigh d'Éirinn. Cothaíonn sé naisc idir Éire agus na tíortha ina bhfuil na hinstitiúidí lonnaithe. Chomh maith leis sin, cuireann sé go mór le scoláireacht na Gaeilge i measc an phobail acadúil idirnáisiúnta agus méadaítear stádas na teanga dá réir. Cuireann sé deis ar fáil a…

Aithníonn an Roinn gur tréimhse dhúshlánach í seo do phobal na Gaeltachta i gcoitinne de dheasca Covid-19 - lucht stiúrtha na hallaí agus na n-ionad pobail sa Ghaeltacht san áireamh - ós rud é go bhfuil an fhoinse ioncaim bhliantúil a bheadh ag cuid mhaith díobh ceilte uathu i mbliana mar gheall ar na coláistí Gaeilge a bheith curtha ar ceal an samhradh seo. Chun tacú le cobhsú earnáil na gcoláistí samhraidh Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht, d'fhógair mo Roinn le gairid go raibh ciste éigeandála aon uaire ar fiú €4.7 milliún …

Tuigim gur fadhb dheacair í seo. Tugann an earnáil seo, a bhfuil luach measta ar thimpeall €50 milliún go bliantúil don gheilleagar sna réigiúin Ghaeltachta bainteach leis, foinse luachmhair ioncaim do na teaghlaigh Ghaeltachta maraon le tairbhe níos leithne do na pobail Ghaeltachta. Is ciste éigeandála aon uair ar fiú €4.7 milliún chun tacú le cobhsú earnáil na gcoláistí samhraidh Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht atá i gceist. Tógadh an cinneadh seo tar éis d'fhógair mo Roinn ar 20 Aibreán nach reáchtálfaí aon chúrsa foghlam…

No.

I thank my colleagues, Deputies Flaherty, O'Callaghan and Cathal Crowe for their contributions this morning. I also thank all the Deputies who took part in this debate yesterday evening. In particular, I acknowledge the broad acceptance across the House of the need for measures that this legislation will facilitate. I would like to respond to a few of the specific points raised by Deputies. We may have the opportunity to follow up on them on Committee and Remaining Stages of the Bill. Covid-19 is a symmetric shock …

I move: "That Second Stage be taken now."

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." The Covid-19 pandemic constitutes an unprecedented economic and social challenge for Europe and the world and is of such a scale that no country can successfully address it alone. The response requires urgent, decisive and comprehensive action at EU, national, regional and local levels. At a European level as part of the early response to Covid-19 on 23 March 2020 the European Commission triggered the general escape clause of the Stability and Growth Pact and has a…

I thank Deputy Griffin and appreciate his kind words. I commend him on his time as Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. I remember him in one of my own local schools. He really lived up to the title around promoting physical exercise and has left a strong legacy in that Department. I think him for his time and acknowledge his role there in the last number of years. The Minister for Finance, Deputy Donohoe, wishes to inform the Deputy that both he and his officials have engaged extens…

I thank Deputy Griffin. As the Deputy mentioned, the Government recognises in the programme for Government the role that credit unions play in society as a volunteer co-operative financial institution. The economic outlook, including reduced demand for new lending, rising household savings and continued low return on investments, has exacerbated the challenges the Deputy referenced that existed before Covid-19 and the perfect storm that we need to turn away from. We committed in the programme for Government to a re…

There will be brief questions at the end.

If the Minister has an update and we have time.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge all those who have sadly lost their lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic. More that 1,600 people have died here in the past two and a half months. As we have heard, these are not statistics on a page; each case represents families who have lost loved ones dear to them. We honour their memories while continuing to do everything we can to keep rates of infection down and overcome the virus. As has been mentioned, the Defence Forces have played a central role in the national front-…