I thank the Minister for being here. While I welcome the decision to continue the Covid restriction support scheme and the employment wage subsidy scheme until the end of June 2021, it is important there is not a cliff edge when that date comes around. I have spent the past number of weeks engaging with employees in different sectors and with management in different areas, including yesterday when Deputy McAuliffe and I engaged with workers in the aviation sector. There is a deep degree of worry about what this dat…

I thank the Minister for being here. I will stress the case for Ireland to start looking seriously at the possibility of implementing a vaccination green certificate. It has been successfully trialled in other countries which are considering its use. In two months' time, we will be in a situation where a large percentage of our population will be inoculated for the Covid-19 virus and we should give serious thought to whether the green certificate system could be implemented in Ireland given that we are a leading co…

I thank the Minister of State for being in the House to discuss some of the work he is doing within his own Ministry and in terms of what is going on in the European Union. I do not agree with Deputy Tóibín on many issues but some of the points he made around the economic issues relating to the European Union were points I had stressed with the Minister of State, Deputy Byrne. They should be of the highest priority for the Government. The pandemic has caused enormous economic strain on the eurozone and on the Europ…

I am very happy to have the opportunity to discuss some upcoming events within the European Union and matters relating to the Minister of State's Department. One of the most important things in the post-Covid world will be the financial response of the European Union and the eurozone to this crisis. After the 2008 international financial meltdown, we pursued a policy of extreme austerity for ordinary citizens across the Continent of Europe. This really hit home here in Ireland. We cannot afford to do that to anothe…

I thank the Minister for his attendance to debate some significant issues relating to the Government's work on the Bill, which I greatly welcome. I do so bearing in mind that during the most recent general election campaign, one of the most prominent issues for many people in my constituency and nationally concerned the challenges facing young families who are starting out trying to secure childcare, with all that entails. When we move beyond the current climate of Covid-19, it will be very important for the Minist…

I am happy to be here to discuss some of these significant issues. When the Minister was first appointed to Cabinet, I knew he was someone who would be a doer and who would try his utmost to help in all aspects of the housing crisis. This is one key fundamental part of it and the Minister has my support in that regard. I am vocal sometimes with regard to some of my views on the housing crisis but I imagine the Minister can appreciate the significant challenges that lie ahead of a new generation of first-time buyers…

I thank the Minister for allowing me the opportunity to ask for a progress update on the R624 road into Cobh. Cobh is a town of 13,000 people and is in desperate need of a significant and substantial upgrade to the access road into and out of the town up to the N25 near Tullagreen House. Will the Minister give us a progress update on that?

I am happy to hear that the council and the Department will engage directly with each other. We need to get this project included under the NDP to ensure it will be allocated the necessary funds. There is a strong case for why Cobh should receive this investment, particularly factoring in the standard and quality of the current road and recognising that the island is serviced by exceptionally good public transport, which will be improved with the Council of Europe Conference of Ministers responsible for Spatial/Reg…

I stress the requirement for funding for this project, bearing in mind that it will cost approximately €100 million. We have to bear in mind that Cobh is in a very strategic location in Cork Harbour. It is also one of the leading destinations for cruise ships not only in Ireland, but in Europe. Hundreds of thousands of tourists arrive into Ireland through Cobh. The historic nature of the town also attracts a lot of visitors to the region. This road is unfortunately holding back this great island from reaching its f…

I am happy to be here today to discuss some of the issues facing students right around the country. I do so as the youngest Member of the Dáil. Of course, the Minister and I had something in common when we were first elected - recently I was admiring that photograph on the Minister's Twitter account of his election ten years ago this week - in that we were both elected to Dáil Éireann at an extremely young age. That brings with it not only the responsibility to our constituents but also for our age bracket and grou…

I thank the Minister for being here. On the issue of vaccinations, I want to use this opportunity to highlight the extreme frustration being felt by many people who were expecting to be vaccinated in the past number of weeks. Our office has been inundated with calls from people who want to know the status of their vaccination and when they will get the vaccine. I understand there was some concern in the east Cork municipal district - the Midleton local electoral area to be precise - about that. I ask the Minister t…

I rise to talk to the Minister about some of the specific and significant issues in the constituency of Cork East. I have been raising these issues for the long number of months since the Minister's appointment to Cabinet. The issue of school capacity is an enormous problem. It is welcome that we are seeing a return to school for students around the country, particularly for leaving certificate examination students. I pay tribute to them and their parents given all they have gone through in the past number of month…

The decision this week by Bank of Ireland came as a major shock to people around the country, particularly in my constituency, where three bank branches in major towns will close. The decision will impact my own area of Youghal. Cobh will see the closure of a bank branch servicing 20,000 people. The branch in Mitchelstown will also close. I find it highly unusual that Bank of Ireland would take action to close a considerable part of its national banking network in the middle of a pandemic. It is disgusting that the…

As the youngest Member of the House and the first to be elected to the Dáil whose lifetime has only known peace under the Good Friday Agreement, I wish to discuss the need to ensure that we create a shared island that is inclusive and tolerant of all people on it. When we move towards a shared island, we must continue to engage in open dialogue with all of the people on it to ensure that every person's voice is heard. We do not want to end up with a situation where sections of society feel abandoned or excluded. Th…

I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to discuss access to drug and alcohol treatment services during the Covid-19 pandemic. Covid-19 poses a major threat for people with drug and alcohol addiction and, in response, drug and alcohol services have adapted with new ways of working to continue to support people affected by substance misuse during the pandemic. Their work should be commended. A key priority for the Government during Covid-19 is to protect, safeguard and support health, social care and other…

I welcome the announcement of the Covid business aid scheme. The €60 million funding will greatly help those businesses that have fallen outside the scope of CRSS requirements. The scheme will be a great help to businesses in the hospitality sector if they do not qualify for CRSS, if they have rateable premises and their turnover is significantly impacted. The Fáilte Ireland business continuity scheme, which was launched recently, is also a positive move protecting those businesses that have fallen outside the remi…

I thank the Minister of State for attending to discuss the Land Development Agency Bill. The Bill is a proactive attempt to tackle the housing crisis we face in this country. It is clear that we need to build more houses and that increasing the supply of houses in the market in an affordable manner is the optimal approach to dealing with the housing crisis. The Land Development Agency Bill represents an opportunity to undertake strategic land assembly and fully utilise State lands to build affordable homes and sust…

I thank the Minister for taking this debate. I want to raise the issue of the damage that was done at Ballycotton pier last weekend. I had the chance to speak directly to the Minister about it but I am asking today that he and his officials engage with Cork County Council to ensure the funding that is required for the repairs is given swiftly. There is an urgency to this matter given the importance of the pier to Ballycotton as a village and tourist hub and for the fishing industry there. I want to talk about the s…

I support the Bill which updates Irish law to reflect four pieces of EU legislation in the area of counterfeiting. These changes will give the requisite powers and functions for the Central Bank of Ireland to monitor and enforce measures related to suspected counterfeit euro currency. As the effective branch of the European Central Bank here the Central Bank of Ireland requires the power to check euro notes and coins we all use without thinking. The crime of counterfeiting money is as old as money itself. For as lo…

I thank the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for being here today. The Minister spoke earlier about the need for a global solution to the Covid-19 crisis and he is right about that. I have put questions to him multiple times in the House and made statements on matters pertaining to Covid. An issue with which I am quite disappointed at a European level is the EU's attitude to a multilateral approach to research in the area of antigen testing and having a set antigen strate…