The Joint Committee on Health heard a very good presentation yesterday on ventilation. Dr. Orla Hegarty was really excellent.

I thank the Minister of State for his attendance. This story is not finished but the catchcry of "Are we there yet?" is one that is very well known to Irish people. Bóthar would be perceived as one of the more earthy charities. It is one to which I have contributed myself over the years because there was always a tangible output, or at least that was the perception. Instead of just sending money, there was a tangible result from the contributions the public made, namely, the charitable contribution of live animals …

The Minister of State's response was fairly general. I understand the circumstances in which it perhaps might be general. Can he comment on whether this particular charity is engaging in fundraising activities at the moment? That is the first point. Has it been engaging in fundraising activities since the launch of the investigation? The Minister of State said the Charities Regulator had been engaging with Bóthar since early 2020 on foot of concerns raised about the charity. Can he explain what engagement means? Wh…

The Minister is a breath of fresh air. The two previous speakers stole my thunder because I came in intending to say what they said. On behalf of my constituents, I thank all the officials in the Department for keeping the show on the road. What the staff of the Department of Social Protection have done throughout the country has been very underestimated, particularly when one considers that even now it is impossible to get in touch with line officials in other Departments, as was the case heretofore. I ask the Min…

That is very welcome news. At present, as the Minister knows, the social welfare rates, including the State pension, are determined as part of the annual budgetary process. There is no explicit link between the State pension rate and earnings or prices. This means the real value of the rate can change from year to year, depending on the general cost of living and the economic context. As the Minister stated, the roadmap for social inclusion made an explicit and welcome commitment to provide income security for olde…

As the Minister knows, many people are heavily reliant on State pension payments. Future pensioners yet to come on stream are uncertain as to what rate of pension they will get. I acknowledge what the Minister said about the increases. I support all those increases, but they are legislated for and are not anticipated. They are not something people can count on. I urge the Minister, the next time I raise a question on the status of the commitment to benchmarking State pensions, to provide a clear answer on that. Whe…

I am grateful for the opportunity the Ceann Comhairle has given me to contribute. I acknowledge the courtesy of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in alerting me to his inability to take this matter, for which he has a good reason. I voted against the programme for Government last year. I stood alone on the issue of strategic housing developments, SHDs, having witnessed their impact on my constituency, including their lack of democratic input and transparency and the fact that they so easily ignore and override …

I thank the Minister of State. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the focus and motivation of the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, in this area. I commend his incredible energy in addressing his portfolio. This issue is worthy of interrogation. The Minister of State pointed out in his reply that the arrangements for SHDs apply for a limited period. One of the reasons I voted against the programme for Government was the inclusion of provision for SHDs, although Fianna Fáil has succeeded in ensuring the limited …

This question concerns the European Council meeting but I have two questions and I am quite prepared to cede the rest of my time to the Minister if he wishes to develop the theme. The Minister mentioned that he called in the Israeli ambassador today and outlined what he said to him. Will the Minister give us some flavour of the ambassador's response? I understand the Minister had some online dialogue with a former US Senator, Mr. John Kerry, about climate action. Will the Minister inform the House of the fruits of …

The conversation seemed to reflect a complete change in attitude, tone and temperature from the United States on the Paris accords and climate action in general.

Four minutes are allocated for the interaction and we have only had three of those.

I know but I was following the clock.

I ceded all my time to the Minister but he only took three minutes when he should have four minutes.

The Deputy is still making waves. I thank him for that. I call Deputy Ó Laoghaire to take us to midday.

I welcome the Minister to the House. One of the first things I want to do is to acknowledge that Ireland and the world owes the green movement a huge debt of thanks. I must acknowledge the Green Party was ahead of the posse here, notwithstanding the efforts of the odd individual, conservationist or ecologist who might have international status and be very well known to people publicly. The Green Party led the way, was persistent and experienced the slings and arrows of success and failure electorally and never gave…

The Minister of State will have time at the end.

I know that but the Minister of State will have time.

The Acting Chairman can clarify that Deputy Niamh Smyth is the next speaker.

Absolutely.

I add my words of congratulation to the congratulations other Members have offered to the Minister without Portfolio, who became a mother today for the first time, and to her husband, Paul. I wish them health above all, safety in these current times and happiness. They have the best wishes of the House.