I welcome the statements and I know the Minister will sum up at the end. I reiterate some of the points made and the first is that we as an Oireachtas should acknowledge that movement has finally been made. Some of the movement may be seen by some as being in the realm of the ideal, but the fact is that commitments were placed in the programme for Government on a matter that has been hanging around for well over a decade and a half. We all know the issues and the inhumane aspects of the process. Some of us have got…

I have two points, but not questions, for the Minister and Minister of State. Since we are all so caught up – rightly so, and I absolutely get it – in the delivery of vaccines, it is so easy for us to forget that so many have died from the virus since January 2021. Even newspapers seem to forget. There were more deaths from the virus in January 2021 than for the entirety of 2020. We should somehow mark that and not leave it out of our sight. I am not saying the Minister is doing so but there was a time when the new…

Is that agreed? Agreed.

No, the Deputy did not.

It is only unfair if I do not ask the Minister to answer the questions.

It is only unfair if the Minister is not asked to respond. I am asking him to respond. Deputy Colm Burke asked the same question.

I am actually agreeing with the Deputy. Deputies O'Donnell and Colm Burke asked questions.

Deputy Colm Burke's questions-----

Deputy O'Donnell had two minutes. Deputy Colm Burke-----

Deputy Shanahan is next. Is he looking for answers?

The next four speakers are sharing time. In about 12 minutes the Minister will have a little extra time, so if they do not get an answer to their questions they may wish to wait in the Chamber.

Not at this point. I will give the Minister plenty of latitude at the end.

I did not ask the Minister.

The Minister may respond to Deputy Healy-Rae but I will take time from the Minister's final contribution. I have been quite generous in the time he has been given and we are up against the clock because of Leaders' Questions. I ask him to be conscious of that.

The Deputy may ask a question but the answer will not come until the very end.

We have eight minutes remaining rather than ten. In the interests of impartiality, I was generous with regard to ministerial responses. Deputy McAuliffe has three minutes and the Minister has the remainder of the time available. I ask that this be reflected on the clock.

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on the "RTÉ Investigates" programme on this issue. I wish to put on record that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is blameless in regard to this matter. It is important to state that. I thank the Minister of State for being here. She has come to this place after only eight months in office. The question for me is how did we get here. I am sure that for people who might not have a vested interest or who are not stakeholders in the special education piece, it is mind-b…

With regard to the "RTÉ Investigates" issue, as a member of the Oireachtas health committee, and without wanting to pre-empt what the Taoiseach might say, nobody in the House has a monopoly on the sense of disgust, alarm and shock at what unfolded and emerged in the documentary. Interestingly, it is safe, genuine and sincere for me to say the Oireachtas health committee has adopted a very non-partisan approach to this. We are seeking every relevant witness to come to address the committee and be interrogated by it …

I wish to flag that I do not intend to use anything like the 20 minutes allotted to me. I was in the House when this Bill was introduced by the Minister. It is a short, complex Bill dealing with a complex issue. I listened keenly to Deputy Alan Farrell's contribution and noted how connected he was to the issue. My party colleague, Deputy Jim O'Callaghan, was very alive to the implications of Mr. Justice George Birmingham's interpretation of the existing law. He was particularly alive to the consequences of the judg…

The Minister has one minute to respond.