How much time is available?

I am delighted to have the opportunity to raise this issue. I want to briefly mention some of my colleagues who have been campaigning on it, including Deputies Paul Donnelly, Clarke, Cronin, O'Reilly, Daly, O'Rourke and Ó Laoghaire. A number of us put this in and we were the lucky names which came out. We are looking for clarity on the reopening of adult day services. It is a little bit ad hoc at the moment in that some services seem to have resumed but many have not. There is also the question of whether they will…

I thank the Minister of State. I appreciate what she said with regard to services being expected to reopen in August and September, which would be very welcome, and what she said with regard to a portal on which people can clearly see which services are reopened. This will also be welcome. On 17 July, the Covid committee was told some services may not open until December or January. Where did this information come from? Many people have contacted me about this and all Deputies will have had queries on it. Many peop…

I will take five minutes and my colleagues will follow. They know the order in which they will speak.

I move: That Dáil Éireann: notes: — the early years sector has been acutely underfunded for many years and as a result Ireland is ranked the lowest country in the European Union (EU) for investment in this vital area; — this lack of adequate and sustainable funding has ensured fees for parents are amongst the highest in the EU; — that the steep costs accrued by parents in securing early years childcare places a significant financial burden on families; — this sector, which employs approximately 30,000 people, has s…

Can we get a copy of it now?

I do not have my Oireachtas email on my phone and I have to say it is the first I ever heard of the Business Committee agreeing that. I do not mean to interrupt the Minister but it is extremely unusual.

I did not see the Minister of State's amendment until late this evening. I should know better at this stage but I actually thought that the Government might support my motion because what is contained in it is solutions. It is all done in very serious consultation with the sector, and it was not done overnight. It was not a case of a few phone calls a few days before we decided to put down this motion. This consultation has been going on for years. I recall doing a report for the children's committee in 2017 about …

Vótáil.

Like my colleagues, I commend Deputy Kerrane, the National Women's Council of Ireland and all of the mothers who campaigned. It shows what a group of strong women can do when they get together. It is just common sense to extend maternity leave by 12 weeks. The programme for Government talks about extending maternity leave, parental leave and paternity leave. This is the perfect opportunity for the Government to show that it is serious about that and to actually do something about it by taking real action and extend…

I congratulate the Minister, Deputy McEntee, whom I always found to be extremely fair in her previous role. I wish her the best and look forward to working with her. I am delighted that we have a young woman as Minister for Justice and Equality. I also offer congratulations to the Minister of State, Deputy McConalogue. My contribution will focus on the human rights and equality aspects of this, particularly the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Despite our having passed this convention, we h…

I have one very specific issue to raise with the Minister and hopefully he will have time to respond. It relates to the lack of secondary school places in Kilkenny city. I have spoken to the Minister and his officials about three boys and have received a response. I have the permission of the families to raise this issue. Zach, Cathay and Abudi, all of whom attend St. Canice's primary school in Kilkenny city, cannot access secondary school places for September in the city. In two of the cases, the mothers of the ch…

The Sinn Féin speakers will use 11 of our 15 allocated minutes and leave four minutes for the Minister to respond. I will share time with Deputies O'Rourke and Gould. I do not wish to be repetitive. In her opening statement, the Minister addressed some of the issues I intended to raise, including guidelines, reopening and pods. The issue of consultation has been raised several times in the House. It is essential that childcare and early years settings are given adequate time to put the required measures in place. U…

I am taking seven minutes and Deputy Martin Browne and Deputy Carthy will take four minutes each. We will do our questions and answers within each of our time slots. Among the matters I wish to raise are the logistical issues with the wage subsidy scheme. Some of them have been mentioned already. Sole traders, for example, seem to be outside this category. It is ironic for them because they are administering the scheme and ensuring staff are paid, yet they cannot access the payment. I know the Department is aware o…

Could we have individual replies?

I am conscious that I am eating into my colleague's time.

I will hand over to Deputy Martin Browne.

I thank the Minister.

I raise the issue of children with additional needs who might rely on special needs assistants, SNAs, or even resource hours. I refer to children with autism. What supports are currently in place for them as it is a very difficult time for them and their families? Routine is very important, particularly around autism, but these children's lives have been turned upside down. What supports are currently available? My experience is that, unfortunately, there is very little support available. Crucially, what supports w…

I just wanted to put that on the record.