On Tuesday, we all listened to the budget speech. Many things were said and some of us are still poring over what it all means. It means finally, we as a Government are making policies which strengthen businesses, encourage personal climate action and safeguard the status of the most vulnerable. After years of austerity, it is heartening to see budget 2021 become the largest investment in the history of the State. It might have surprised people but it is the right thing to do. We need to make sure we can face the c…

I wish to express my concern that when all the talk is about Covid-19, we seem to have forgotten the other major disruption facing our lives, that is, Brexit. Brexit will impact all of us from every sector of society. Last week, I met local farmers in County Carlow and we talked not about Covid-19 but about Brexit. The Irish farming and food sector has a higher dependence on the UK market when compared with other sectors in Ireland and is, therefore, the most exposed sector to any negative economic impact of the UK…

It is important that we all recognise the devastation of the arts industry, including writers, performers, musicians, technicians, planners, participants and the wider community. We have relied on the arts to soothe our souls. Those who create and work in this space have faced more sacrifices than most. In Carlow town, we are fortunate to have the VISUAL Centre for Contemporary Art and The George Bernard Shaw Theatre, one of Ireland's leading contemporary arts spaces which opened in 2009 and comprises a beautiful g…

I would like to come in on this point. What preparations are being made to look after next year's leaving certificate students and to ensure that those who sat the leaving certificate before this year are not further penalised? What preparations are being put in place to assist those students who wish to take the exam in November? Are schools being told to give assistance and support to these students? Students have gone through so much with Covid-19 and they are now looking for support from their schools. Everythi…

Two Deputies will speak for four minutes and another will speak for three. I thank the Minister of State for being here. I am disappointed with those last remarks from the Deputy. We are in a Covid-19 situation and we are all working together. Deputy Tóibín's biggest problem today was criticising the Minister for Health. All of us are working here together.

It is about all of us working together and the Deputy is criticising the Minister for Health.

It is unacceptable. We all have our part to play working together and that is what we are here to do. It is important that we arm our society with the tools to live with Covid-19. We cannot afford rolling lockdowns. Locking down within hours has really hurt businesses. Going forward, if there must be restrictions will the Minister please give us fair warning because people's livelihoods are at risk? That is important. Recently when we had restrictions I saw the effect on businesses and the confusion about what was …

In my area of County Carlow we have been responsible in keeping the numbers down. I also want to congratulate the older people because their numbers have seriously decreased. That is important. Again, the elderly are playing a great part. I mention that today is international older people's day and fair play to them. They have done everything they could and have stuck by the guidelines. They have done their best and we need to congratulate them. On Tuesday at the Covid committee I asked if there was an active recru…

I welcome the Minister. The winter plan seeks, in part, to protect services and patient care delivery. I am concerned about the lack of services in the community for those in need of palliative care. Palliative care teams are fantastic but there is not enough of them. People could die without this care because of under-resourced services. This winter more people will die but we cannot allow their families to spend precious last days fighting for care for their loved ones. It is imperative that the Minister properly…

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue matter and know that she will relay my concerns to the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Foley. I have a deep concern that in our fight against Covid-19, we have worsened the education inequality curve. Schools play a very important role in children's lives. That social relationship between school teachers and families is very important and disadvantage was highlighted while schools were closed. The Department of Education and Skills made additiona…

I am disappointed with the reply. Some schools are constantly applying to the Department for DEIS status and have been refused on grounds that do not make sense. When schools that are beside each other, with the girl from one family attending a girls' school that does not have DEIS status while the boy attends a school beside it that does, the whole system is wrong. Whatever the criteria are or whatever the information is that needs to be given, that needs to be changed. It is so important that schools that apply f…

That is not proper information. That is wrong information.

I will raise some transport issues that have arisen during the pandemic. When school bus capacity was reduced to 50% and parents were told that if they drove their children to school they could seek a refund of their free travel, was there ever a discussion about just hiring extra buses? Private bus and coach operators could certainly do with the business. The Federation of Transport Operators, FOTO, is only too willing to engage with the Government on this issue. Many of us have received correspondence from the or…

It is. Under the auspices of EU projects, we have been told that there will be some electric buses. I believe that the Ring a Link service might be in line for one of those buses. Is capital funding available, and will an electric bus be furnished to the Ring a Link service in Carlow, Kilkenny and Tipperary? Is there a subvention or a roadmap? I need answers to all those questions. I always feel that Carlow, and Kilkenny and the rest of the south east, is forgotten. We have always asked about the possibility of an …

I have been contacted by a student in my area, Carlow, who did her leaving certificate, was disappointed with her results because they were not as high as those awarded in her mock examinations and decided to repeat in November, on which I compliment her. She went to the school, which is an excellent school, and they told her that they do not have any resources and that they did not get any guidance from the Department of Education and Skills on the supports they can give to anyone repeating their leaving certifica…

I thank the Minister. Our climate action plan clearly recognises that Ireland significantly steps up to its commitment to tackle climate disruption. With that in mind, I will raise the issue of forestry. According to the Uplift campaign, which has communicated with all the Deputies in this House, planting native trees to create rich native woodland such as oak, ash, elder and birch should be a priority to have cleaner air and create healthier communities. The Minister knows that. We have suffered decades of defores…

We have all been listening to the Minister and we probably all have our concerns regarding coming changes. The Minister said in his speech that we will all have to make changes. I agree with that completely. We have all seen the good weather we have had during this pandemic. That helps people in a way, but it is also difficult to tell our winters from our summers now. We seem to be reaching that stage. We must all work together, therefore, to ensure that we look after our climate and ensure that we play our part. I…

Yes. I thank the Acting Chairman. We have learned in recent months that we must find a way to live alongside the virus but we need to trust the people now if we are to protect jobs and the economy. I ask the Minister of State to assure me that businesses in the various sectors will be treated equally as we move through the new plan. For example, there must be equal treatment for businesses in the retail, hospitality and manufacturing sectors. We cannot have a repeat of the confusion that arose in March, when Deputi…

While I welcome the return of many day services for those living with disabilities, many families have contacted me because they are finding it difficult to access transport to services. I know of many families who had places on buses but now do not. They have no other means of accessing services because some of them do not have a car. They are informing me that they are even paying for taxis. In some cases, disability services are only available for a few hours per day. The schools have reopened and we need to try…

I wish the Minister of State well in his new role. These are very challenging times and the Minister of State has been in place for approximately eight weeks so, like us all, he has a lot to learn. I know from working with him previously that he will work extremely hard and this has to be the focus. We all have to realise we all have to play a part and do what we can. All things have changed because of the coronavirus, even drug use. In June, the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, EMCDDA, foun…