Maybe I will take up from where Deputy Harkin left off in the context of policy coherence and the value of this Bill. The Bill itself is timely. It is a Bill that has gone through committee scrutiny successfully. In the course of that it has invited various other recommendations and no doubt in the course of the Committee Stage, more ideas and inputs will be brought forward and made, which is to be welcomed. I want to examine the impact of the Bill on various sectors. Agriculture comes to mind first. We have a lot …

I welcome the White Paper, which is timely. I intend to reflect on the system that has been in place since approximately 2000. It is inhumane and a system of which one could not be proud. I welcome the actions being taken now to deal with the issue, and that there will be a new system in place after 2024. However, there are things we can do now. We cannot wait until 2024 to take the actions that are necessary in this area. There are people in this country who have not been able to work and lead a proper life. They …

I join the previous speakers in complimenting those who are on the front line in the delivery of the vaccines. I include those who are close to that front line and are managing it and so on. There is a growing confidence about the vaccines and a growing desire among a lot of people to have a vaccine and to have it delivered as soon as possible. However, there is an issue around how we deliver that message. The message has been confusing at the best of times. We must be clear on our messaging. We must inform people …

First, I welcome the Minister's statement on the continuation of the Covid support schemes and the fact that there will not be a cliff edge at the end of this. We had a good discussion in the finance committee this week in which, as the Minister said, various suggestions were put forward to deal with some of the shortfalls affecting the SME sector. I support that. In supporting it, I wish to take up the points raised by Deputy Nash when he spoke about FBD Holdings. It is time for the Minister to make a statement on…

I am sharing time with Deputy Michael Moynihan. This is yet another scandal involving a whistleblower and a report being commissioned by a multidisciplinary team. The same old worn path is being followed by the State. It starts with mutterings from the Taoiseach and Ministers in this House suggesting that there is another side to the story. Like all other whistleblowers, I am sure Shane Corr will no longer enjoy his employment, in this case with the Department of Health. That happens with every whistleblower who ev…

I compliment those on the front line of the vaccine roll-out who are doing an excellent job. There is no doubt that things are getting better but we started from a very low base. My concern is that the positivity that the Minister expresses as to where we are now and where we are going and the caveats therein cause significant confusion with the public because they are deeply concerned through the stories that they are hearing from their GPs, on the radio or in print media, that the vaccine is slow in its arrival. …

First, I will address autism spectrum disorder units and the fact that many parents are trying to access a service that simply is not there. If the assessments were updated, the system of autism spectrum disorder units would be swamped. We need to address our future plan for that. I ask the Minister to give special consideration to children with special needs, even those children who are at home who cannot access supports because of the voluntary nature of an SNA or a teacher compared with teaching at home. They ar…

I am extremely disappointed with the contributions of the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, and the Minister of State, Deputy Fleming. There has been no change in the policy of this Government towards the banks, the type of banks we want in our society and the issues raised here this evening by various Deputies. If we are to have a different landscape in terms of banking, then there must be discussion and firm debate on the issue. I asked the Taoiseach, the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party and Government Whip and I wrote to…

I listened to a debate last week in which Deputy McNamara described what was going on in the House as a charade, while some of the speakers during today's debate have described it as theatre. I do not disagree with them, because what we have had in the course of the pandemic is theatre, with very little attention given to democracy and to the work we should do to scrutinise legislation. This legislation is now before the House and, again, those in the Government parties have had little or no time to scrutinise it. …

I am trying to explain that it is part of the mixed messaging-----

-----that this legislation and these amendments will lead to.

Nobody else was interrupted when speaking.

I am talking about the mixed messaging that is going on. In dealing with this legislation I am asking that lessons be learned from that mixed messaging and that some corrections be made because the people are extremely angry with what is going on. They want to see a plan for the reopening of society and the economy. They want to know what their part in it is. They want to know what quarantining is all about and what it means for them. Some people have specific questions about their personal circumstances that they …

Currently, county development plans are being discussed by Members and as many members of the public as is possible. Every effort must be made to ensure we have buy-in from the public so that the plan in each county is reflective of the desire of that county to develop, and to develop where it should. An Bord Pleanála should be taking note of these plans and of the desires and aspirations of local authorities in regard to how they develop their counties. While having some flexibility, it should not be allowed to de…

First, I welcome the establishment of the Department. I wish both the Minister and the Minister of State well, as I have done in the past. I believe it is a step in the right direction to give as much access to third level as possible, particularly to those in the regions and those who do not have the wherewithal to attend third level. It gives them the opportunity. It also allows the Department a greater focus on what is required to bring greater numbers into the university sector. I also welcome the developments …

We cannot discuss Brexit without including Covid-19. One cannot have a discussion about Covid-19 without including Brexit. Both of them have shown the State to be far less effective than it should be. It has shown that the reforms that were suggested over the years and were not implemented are now playing against us. How ready are we to deal with the Covid-19 nightmare into 2022? How ready are we for Brexit? I will point to a number of issues that are of grave concern to me. One is the hospitality sector. I come fr…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate. It is timely and if it was Deputy Boyd Barrett who asked for it, he was perfectly correct in doing so. I cannot disagree with some of the points he made in his contribution. I say to the Government, and generally to Members of the House, that we have to look at not just what is happening today but also the forecast for Covid over the next 12 months. The decisions we take cannot be withdrawn as quickly as they might be in other circumstances. They are decisions …

I am delighted both Ministers are here for this debate. I welcome the interaction in terms of questions and so on and the commitments that the Ministers will come back on the other questions that may be unanswered. The Minister has a new Department and there are two Ministers. There is an opportunity with Covid-19 to explore all the possibilities to perhaps open up third level education to those who were locked out of it up to now. Much will depend on how the Minister approaches this and how it is funded. I accept …

I welcome the Bill. I wish the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, every success on his appointment. It is good that we have someone who understands business and the difficulty of transacting business in normal times, and that he has with such speed got to the point where these changes are now being introduced as part of the new Covid-19 requirements for businesses to ensure that legally they are able to operate in an efficient way covering all of the aspects of the law. It is essential legislation because it is law an…

First, I congratulate the Minister on her appointment and wish her well in that Department, where so much reform is necessary. Given her age and energy, I have no doubt that she will be able to bring a new dynamic to the Department and, perhaps, bring about the reform that is urgently required. I ask her to examine the various inquiries that have been established but which still have not been concluded. Indeed, some have not agreed their terms of reference, such as the one relating to Lucia O'Farrell and the death …