I reinforce that message to the staff in the Department and in offices throughout the country. I would be very interested in the data the Minister referred to, including a granular breakdown of the numbers who returned to work but not to their previous occupation. In the case of the hospitality sector, anecdotally, the story around Dublin, including in my constituency of Dublin South-West, is that a good proportion of staff returned to pubs and restaurants but, in addition, a significant number, because of the unce…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for including me. I was going to ask a further question about the UCC students - I ask that the Tánaiste follow up on the matter - but Deputy Cowen's point made a strong impression on me because I was not aware of the issue. His point is that the ESB, a commercial semi-State company, won a bid to be one of the electricity suppliers but failed to supply the electricity. Was the ESB ever in a position to supply it? It seems it gamed the system, kept another supplier out and was prepa…

There is a common theme running through the debate and it seems to be at the expense of Dublin, so I will put some of the case for Dublin. I know the Minister is a Dublin Deputy as well as a Minister, but often in the Dáil Chamber there is a very unbalanced debate. I never knew I had so many cabin crew and pilots in my constituency until Covid came along. The situation as of mid-September was as follows in respect of Aer Lingus. The August operation - in other words, the total number of flights as opposed to the to…

I welcome the opportunity, as do my colleagues, to contribute to these statements on youth justice strategy. I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Hildegarde Naughton, and commend both her and my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy James Browne, on the energy they have brought to their particular portfolios since their appointment last year. They have made a difference. My constituency, Dublin South-West, is colourful both politically, in terms of the representation it returns, and demographically, in the co…

I know where the Minister's heart lies on this point. I have heard her perform, when she sang. It was in a church. It was for a very worthy cause, but the church happened to be the venue. The point I wanted to make is one close to my heart. Every parish and community in Ireland has clubs, pavilions and clubhouses. Sports capital has been incredibly successful. With the exception of those we know best, such as the civic theatre in Tallaght and the theatre in Dundrum, there are no dedicated performance spaces. A grea…

There is always a follow-up. There is no such thing as a free compliment, as the Minister will discover. The Minister has somewhat covered this question in one of her previous answers. I am asking it on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Calleary, but it is a subject close to me and to many Deputies and especially my constituents in Dublin South-West. It concerns the basic income guarantee pilot scheme for arts and when it will commence. Will the Minister make a statement on that?

As far as I am concerned, the Minister has left few questions to be asked. The fact that a number of us submitted questions gave her ample time to give us that answer. I am taken with the Minister's response. I completely trust her on this issue. She has touched on every possible point there, from stakeholder involvement, to various different models of pay that might be considered, to the need that she recognises for a universal basic income. This is what motivated Deputy Calleary to ask the question. The Minister …

The thought that comes to mind is that Fianna Fáil has a proud tradition in this area, of which the Minister will be aware. Charles Haughey was remembered for the tax exemptions for artists. These kinds of measures do not even happen once in a generation. These kinds of measures skip generations from time to time. The Minister now has a heavy burden on her shoulders. I do not think that we are bigging this up. We have a sense of what we hope that she will be able to deliver. The Minister will be making an impact an…

The Deputy is well over time.

Not if you have to go over time.

I call Deputy Shortall.

The next 20-minute speaking slot is for Sinn Féin. A number of speakers are sharing time. I call Deputy Darren O'Rourke.

There are a number of speakers in this time slot. When I tap the bell they will know they have ten seconds to wind up. I call Deputy Mairéad Farrell.

The next group is the People Before Profit-Solidarity and I have three speakers.

I thought Deputy McNamara's was among a number of really thoughtful contributions this morning. Sitting in the Chair is always a good place to be to listen to the debate. It is a necessary discussion but I am disappointed. That is why I liked the contributions of Deputies Bacik, McNamara and others. I found some of the other contributions incredibly one-sided - this rush to be on the side of the virtuous here. Yet someone is eating, to use the terms we use about data, or consuming a great deal of data. It is a gene…

How much time do I have? The Acting Chairman might give me a time. Have I two minutes?

Figures from the IDA Ireland and the company show that close to 9,000 sustainable jobs were created as a result of AWS's investment in Tallaght. There is great synergy going on between AWS and South Dublin County Council in terms of the district heating scheme. We talk about water and I am very conscious of the amount of water. Do we know if data centres must use clean water? To the best of my knowledge, AWS has been investigating the use of brown water to cool data centres. The CEOs of these companies will be sack…

I am grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this debate. There is much talk in these discussions about the generation comprising those aged 25 to 35, about whom I know a lot from a personal perspective as well as a professional and political perspective. The question people in that age group have on their mind - perhaps not all of them at age 25, but it will articulate itself at some stage - is whether they can own their own place. For the current generation, however, particularly those aged 25 to 30, that q…

Forty years ago. Excuse me, Taoiseach.

I congratulate the Taoiseach on the Bloomberg report today which states Ireland is the best place to be at this stage in the pandemic. That is down to a significant degree to his stewardship of the Government during this period, and that should be acknowledged. We are familiar with social housing lists. Every county or administrative area in the country has them. In the context of the Cabinet subcommittee on housing, will the Taoiseach consider establishing some kind of affordable housing list structure in order th…