I thank the Minister and Ministers of State for being present. Having listened to members of the Opposition, I am very tempted to look back at the past year and where we were this time last year or a little before that, when the world felt a vaccine would not be available until now. To the Deputies who say the Minister has failed and the Government has failed to look after its people, I would point to the 93% to 95% vaccination rate, which includes those who are doubly vaccinated. The chief executive of the HSE was…

I thank the Minister for his presence in the Chamber to address this. I will go through a few preliminary issues that are raised in the Bill. I join my colleagues in welcoming the fact they are covered. I welcome the Bill and the effort to address many long-standing issues. I have some constructive observations to make, specifically on the place of e-scooters in the Bill. I welcome the insurance database provisions. They are long awaited and another piece of the infrastructure we need. I also welcome that additiona…

Yesterday, the Tallaght drugs and alcohol task force published a document, The landscape of substance misuse and its impact on the communities of Tallaght Drugs & Alcohol Task Force. I have a hard copy for the Taoiseach to peruse in his own time. I know he will agree when he has read it that it is a worrying and deeply concerning account and assessment. The previous Government invested huge resources in Dublin's north inner city area. A senior public figure was appointed to investigate, report and make recommendati…

How might the Government propose to replicate that process?

I am grateful that the Minister of State is present. I am not from Tallaght but I have been lucky enough to grow to love it and its people as one of the Teachtaí Dála who represents it. The people there have given me the honour and privilege of representing them in parliament on two occasions now. Tallaght is a rich tapestry that is made up of city and region. Much of Tallaght's population is comfortable, well-educated, thriving and dynamic. The area has a fabulously rich history and culture and amazing people. It …

That answer is much less heartening than the Taoiseach's response when I raised the same issue on the Order of Business. It is not enough. That is the very simple message I ask the Minister of State to bring back to the Minister. She might ask him, and his constituency colleague, why Bray Local Drug and Alcohol Task Force gets significantly more funding than Tallaght Drug and Alcohol Task Force. Riddle me that one please. The four of us meet the most senior gardaí - in fairness, they have been very accessible - and…

I had to play that card tonight. What is being done is not enough and we need more. That is the message we need the Minister of State to bring back to her ministerial colleagues and there is nobody better to do so than her.

I thank the Minister of State.

I thank the Taoiseach and echo the words of my colleague, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, in respect of the Taoiseach's representation of the country at COP26. My question has a Dublin perspective. Covid has exposed the capital city as having been overdependent, and having grown utterly reliant, on events, hospitality and tourism, which are the oxygen that allows the city to breathe. When the Covid tide went out, many businesses were clearly exposed above the waterline. One only has to walk a couple of hundred metre…

The Deputy took four minutes from my slot and I did not-----

This slot.

Thank you. Deputy Barry took four minutes but had been granted two minutes.

In the context of the Cabinet committee on economic recovery and investment, does the Taoiseach agree that we should prioritise the rejuvenation of the capital city, with assistance in de-emphasising event tourism and business tourism, even though they, along with tourism in general, are important to the city? Does he agree that with the aim of creating a living, breathing capital-----

-----in which people can live, study and work proximate to where they are living, that is one lesson Parliament and the Government have learned as a result of the ongoing Covid challenge that faces the country?

I was a little frustrated when I realised I had only three and a half minutes to contribute to this debate, but I copped myself on and realised that if anyone outside the House were offered the same amount of time to speak on the Finance Bill in this Chamber, he or she would grasp it with both hands. I will use the time to focus narrowly on one area. The Minister is aware of the work of the Committee on Budgetary Oversight, on which I am privileged to serve, and has been very generous with his time in engaging with…

The Minister did not use all his time with the previous reply.

We are going to stick to the time.

The Deputy who tabled the next question is not here and that has not been notified.

I need to check that. I will move to Question No. 86 and revert to the Deputy.

We are moving on to Question No. 90. We are checking the matter concerning Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett.