I thank the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, for being here for this debate. First, I want to acknowledge the continued work and effort they have both shown in the Department. I have been working with some of their officials on a continual basis and they have been excellent to deal with during these incredibly difficult and challenging times. They are not only dealing with Covid but also Brexit and the impact it is having on our aviation sector and on other areas which come u…

I thank the Minister of State for taking the time to hear statements on the important issue of mental health. Covid-19 has posed fundamental challenges for people's mental health, as many individuals have experienced heightened stress, anxiety, fear or panic. We have come through a dark and dreary winter and we must be proactive to help people through these difficult times. The Covid-19 pandemic and its restrictions have been challenging for people in our society. People are social by nature and restrictions that r…

I welcome the decision to continue the enhanced rate of subsidy until the end of March 2021 to cover the current period of the public health restrictions. The enhanced subsidy is estimated to cost another €38 million per week, totalling €323 million by the end of March 2021. The EWSS, which has been a key component of the Government’s response to the continued Covid-19 crisis, seeks to support viable firms and to encourage employment during these very challenging times. To date, subsidy payments of over €1.5 billio…

Deputy Cahill is unable to attend, but he was down to share time with me. I have to respond to some of the extraordinary words that were uttered not by the previous Sinn Féin speaker but the one before. The Deputy came in and lectured Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on their roles in the economic crisis, bank guarantee and bank bailout. There were all sorts of anti-European utterances about our role in the European Union. I wish to outline to the Deputy that when I was a child in primary school, Sinn Féin Deputies were i…

I thank the Minister for attending this morning to answer questions on the vaccination strategy. It is important to outline to him the worries people have about what is happening with the AstraZeneca vaccine. The appalling way in which the company has treated EU member states and the Union itself has been incredibly unfortunate considering the major investment the company has received in public funds from across the Union. We must ensure that it upholds its commitments to the EU. In a certain sense, Ireland is bein…

I thank the Minister for being here to discuss the very important issues facing our postal services. I remind him that balanced regional development, of which post office services are an integral part, is a key pillar under the programme for Government. The 2020 Grant Thornton report identified the postal service as one of general economic interest due to its high public value but low commercial viability. The service is at a critical juncture. In terms of sustainability, I have some serious concerns about the late…

I thank the Minister for his reply. We need to hammer home the message today of the importance of post office services across to the citizens of this State. They are an integral part rural life. I am concerned about the ramifications we may face in the next number of years in regard to this sector, particularly around the increasing costs of stamps and, in addition, the possibility of a two-tier system for mail delivery, which would be extremely concerning if it were to come about. It would have an adverse impact o…

The Covid support scheme was a welcome addition to the range of Covid-19 supports in place, which will give enterprises the best opportunity to maintain their businesses during this very difficult trading period. I welcome the additional double payments made over the Christmas and new year period in recognition of the additional financial impact on those businesses for which Christmas would normally have been a particularly busy trading period. The demand for the scheme shows the importance of the role of the Gover…

It is rare in politics these days when everything is so negative that there is something positive to say. As a newly elected Deputy, I thank the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Minister for the work they have done over the past number of months and years on the issue of Brexit. The day Joe Biden was paying his first official visit to Ireland as Vice President was interesting. I had the pleasure of meeting him that day, which was the day the UK had voted to leave the European Union. We have made enormous progr…

I very much welcome the national Covid-19 vaccination strategy announced on Tuesday by the Government. I would like to raise the point of vaccine allocation sequencing. I welcome the approach of prioritising those who are over the age of 65 and are residents of long-term care facilities. We have seen a rapid spread of Covid-19 over the course of the pandemic in certain areas relating to people who are part of that age group. We must try and deal with that first, where possible, in terms of the vaccination roll-out.…

I congratulate Deputy Cathal Crowe on being nominated to the standing panel for the Acting Chairman. I will use my time to highlight the historic trade deal that was achieved at last week's European Council meeting. The €1.8 trillion deal is a major vote of confidence to the world that the European Union is ready and able to tackle Covid-19 and to build back better after the pandemic. The €390 billion being distributed in the form of grants raised by new EU debt mechanisms by the European Commission also highlights…

I welcome this Bill this because, like so many Bills that have gone through the House recently, it shows that we can respond to issues in a way that will allow us to live alongside Covid-19 and avoid stopping developments, where possible. This Bill makes important changes to safeguard planning and building control systems during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Bill will amend the Planning and Development Act 2000 to remove the mandatory requirement to hold physical public meetings on proposed development plans while con…

I wish to use my time to discuss the deferral of the planned increase in the State pension age, which will remain at 66 years pending the report of the commission on pensions. I wholeheartedly welcome this. Fianna Fáil's manifesto during this year's general election promised to establish a commission to examine the State pension age and defer further age increases pending that examination's completion. The increase was controversial and a dominant issue during the general election, and rightly so. It is right that …

The Health Insurance (Amendment) Bill is somewhat akin to the Finance Bill or the Social Welfare Bill, as it arrives in November every year. The measures within are designed to support risk equalisation and to sustain community rating in our health insurance market so that older citizens and people with illnesses can afford health insurance and are not penalised in favour of younger healthier people. There is no increase in the risk equalisation levy this year. Risk equalisation and community rating have many merit…

I thank the Minister of State for being here to discuss the important issues that will be addressed at the European Council meeting next week. I wish to take this opportunity to focus on economic recovery through the implementation of the agreement reached in July last. In terms of the rule of law and funding, it is imperative that these supports are put in place as quickly as possible for the recovery of our economy and society in the post-Covid-19 world. While Hungary may be somewhat preoccupied by internal matte…

Many people will not forget 2020 for a very long time. It started out as a bright new decade, but was destroyed by this pandemic. I feel for what many business owners across the constituency of Cork East, whom I am paid to represent as a new Deputy in the House, have gone through throughout the year. I concur with some of the comments made by Deputy Cowen on the rounds of applause. Businesses in constituencies throughout the country cannot walk into a bank or Revenue and give them a round of applause. They need the…

I thank the Minister for being here so late at 11.50 p.m. Three days from now will mark the fifth month since the Government's formation. Since her appointment to the Cabinet, I have engaged with the Minister on the school capacity problem in east Cork. Without doubt, it is one of the worst capacity problems in the country. Approximately 100 children in my constituency are without a school place for the second year in a row. The issue rose to prominence around this time last year when I was first elected to Cork Co…

I thank the Minister for referencing the first project she mentioned, that of the school complex in Carrigtwohill. I have engaged with the parents' association there a great deal. As the Minister knows, this has been an arduous and long process, one that has been plagued by numerous issues for many years. Is there an update further to what the Minister outlined to me previously? Will she be in a position to travel to the Cork East constituency in the near future to discuss this matter with representatives of the sc…

I thank the Minister for being in the House to speak about the ongoing work he is doing in the new Department. It is critical for so many young people and those engaged in further education throughout the country. I am conscious that I am the youngest Deputy in the House to speak about this issue. I care deeply about it and I have worked in this area in the past, as the Minister is well aware. A particular issue I raised in the House this week was the library system in Ireland. I have been engaging with officials i…

I thank the Minister for giving us an opportunity to speak about the important issues facing rural and community development. As somebody who was born and raised in a community in a rural area in east Cork in Killeagh in the Youghal area as a child, I am very passionate about ensuring we make our rural communities more sustainable. We need to focus on rural development in rapidly changing times, particularly given some of the very significant issues facing so many families in rural areas. Earlier today the Joint Co…