I wish everyone a happy new year. We are in worrying times and yesterday there were 46 additional deaths related to Covid-19. This is such a difficult time for families. My sympathy goes out to everyone who has lost a life through Covid-19. Today we will have more high numbers. We have 172 people in intensive care and 1,750 in hospital so it is a worrying sign for us all. GPs around the country are reporting that not only is there a marked increase in people presenting for tests, more people are sick. Dr. Liam Wood…

I thank the Minister. There has been investment in broadband in County Carlow, particularly in the south east, which is good. My point is about BCPs and the new locations. The Minister referred to Deputies' belief that there are needs in certain areas. In my home town, Carlow, I believe we have further needs there in different areas. I ask the Minister to look at these. I believe that because of Covid, broadband has played a huge part for people working from home and students. It is important that we do not have ce…

The Minister referred to new locations. If we feel there is an area in, for example, my own area of Carlow, do we contact the Minister or go to the local authority? What is the process if we have people contacting us?

I, too, want to wish everyone a happy Christmas and a safe 2021. This Christmas will be challenging for all of us and while I welcome the lifting of the more stringent restrictions on family visits due to come into effect this week, I ask that we be very careful in our messaging. Now is a good time to encourage the fast-tracking of the Loneliness Taskforce's five principal actions. There is an urgency to see these actions implemented due to Covid-19. Alone reports an increase in the number of callers reporting nega…

My own area of Carlow-Kilkenny has had a huge spike in Covid-19 cases so I ask everyone to stay safe.

With the new lifting of restrictions starting tomorrow our messaging is very important in terms of doing our best and playing our part to stay safe.

As I said, we have seen a spike in my area of Carlow-Kilkenny.

I have tabled amendments Nos. 4, 5 and 7 and I hope they have been drafted in such a way as to not impede passage of this important legislation. It is vital that consent is given to the subject of the image. Safe Ireland is the national social change agency working to end gender-based violence and it made a lengthy submission. Other Members have discussed deepfakes. We have to talk about images taken or created without someone's knowledge or consent. One explanation of sexual deepfakes is that they are made through…

I, too, welcome amendment No. 5. It is important that we strengthen this Bill as much as possible. With regard to my own amendment on consent, it is important that we look at education and learn from this. It is important that this Bill is passed by the House as quickly as possible. I thank the Minister of State.

I move amendment No. 5: In page 3, line 22, after "of" where it firstly occurs to insert "what is, or purports to be".

The Irish Council for Civil Liberties has been calling for a law to criminalise images of sexual abuse for years. It must be welcome that there has been a fine scrutiny of this Bill on Committee Stage, and amendments are always welcome to strengthen the Bill. I welcome the Minister of State's acceptance of amendment No. 5 which allows us to stand over the final legislation. It is vitally important that all victims' experiences are taken into account when dealing with this issue. We cannot continue to have a situati…

I thank the Minister and Minister of State for their statements. We have long talked about needing tools to live with Covid. Now we can begin to look forward to using vaccination as another tool in the Covid-19 battle. It really has been a battle, and 2020 will go down in the history books as such. It has been a battle for all the people who have gone through so much, between sickness, bereavement and losing jobs. It really has been an horrific year. I welcome the news that work is well under way by the task force …

I thank the Minister of State for giving me the opportunity to ask about the concerns raised about fire safety at Camphill Community Dunshane, Naas, County Kildare, and plans to ensure that residents with intellectual disabilities and other kinds of special needs are not evicted. My indications are that this could come to pass. Families have contacted me. I know that officials in the Department of Health have sought information from the HSE regarding Camphill Community Dunshane. I was contacted by a constituent of …

I thank the Minister of State. It is excellent news that new accommodation will be found. Things happen but we have to compliment all the staff. Everyone is doing their best. We are living through Covid. Communication was the biggest issue here. I raised the issue to get clarity and establish the fact that it was definitely not closing. I needed to get that for the families. I am delighted that there will be accommodation until all the works are done. I want to say well done to everybody. These have been challengin…

I thank the Minister. We have all gone through the Bill as a committee and I make the point that it is critical to have public engagement in planning. I am a firm believer in that. This Bill replaces the requirement on city and county council executives to hold public meetings about proposed city and county development plans. The obligation is then on the planning authority to consult members of the public and invite written submissions from them on the proposed development plan. I welcome the Government's proposed…

I welcome the investment for the technological university for the south east. It will bring many opportunities for the region. Has the Minister had any contact with Carlow College, St. Patrick's, with regard to bringing about the full integration of the college into the higher education system in the south-east region? I am eager to hear the response of the Minister. Does he have a timeline for delivery?

Christmas is fast approaching and it will be unlike any other. I ask the Minister to outline her plans to combat rising levels of domestic violence in Carlow. Will she be increasing supports for those seeking help in domestic violence situations? Specifically with regard to Christmas, what emergency plans are in place to keep services open? It is so important that services remain open for people experiencing domestic violence.

Today marks the last day of a 16-day campaign highlighting domestic abuse and violence and is an appropriate time to reflect on the plans of the Department of Justice in this area. Evidence shows that women, children, migrants, refugees, people with disabilities and the elderly have been hit hardest by the pandemic and this has been compounded by a widespread increase in domestic violence. A core issue of concern is unreported incidents of domestic violence. There has been a 25% increase in reports of domestic abus…

I welcome the audit that is being undertaken because we must assess the services being provided by An Garda Síochána, Tusla, local authorities and the Department of Social Protection, among others. We must have a holistic approach to this. Services must be more accessible and more information must be provided in order that people better understand the issue. We know that people are doing their jobs to the best of their ability; that is not in question. The issue is getting the audit right, which will have a massive…

The move back to level 3 restrictions has been welcome for many businesses and I encourage the public to shop local as we approach Christmas. I have received several phone calls about the lack of guidance over stage schools in level 3. Some gymnastics clubs and drama classes state that they can open, but it looks like they are using the previous level 3 guidelines. The new guidelines state clearly that no organised indoor gathering should take place and that for outdoor sports, it is individual training only. This …