It is a good news story.

No, the next row is-----

On the same issue, the Tánaiste will appreciate that there has been major fallout in Limerick. Roadbridge employs 630 people and has been synonymous with Limerick for more than 40 years. A receiver was appointed last Friday, so the company is not in liquidation; it is in receivership. I acknowledge the work done by the Tánaiste, his Department and the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, on expediting the roll-out of supports for the workers and allowing them to take up other jobs without compromising …

The fallout for small suppliers and subcontractors is considerable.

Will the Government continue supporting whatever is required in this situation?

We are in unprecedented times. We have gone from a Covid crisis into a Ukrainian crisis. Clearly, we have to support the people of Ukraine, but there are issues that we must deal with domestically. We learned a great deal from the pandemic. The measures we bring in must be quick, decisive and very much sectorally-based, and they must take away uncertainty. What we are facing at the moment is coming at an enormous speed, virtually overnight. We are facing an increase in food and energy costs. Across society, sectors…

I am sharing time with Deputy Higgins. I do not know if there are other Government Members-----

I want to contribute to this debate because a significant number of hauliers and businesses have contacted me in my role as a Deputy representing Limerick City, as they have many other Deputies. They are under enormous pressure. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, is well aware of that. I have studied the measures he has brought in. There are restrictions under the energy directive in Europe. What is required now is engagement with our European partners. There is a need for a European answer on this issue. The rate at wh…

I thought I had three minutes. That is what I was allocated.

I thought my colleagues would have been advised if their time was slipping away.

No. I am saying I put a lot of time into this, a Cheann Comhairle, and I would like to make a contribution to the House.

I am going to get to the heart of the matter. What can we do for the Ukrainian people at the moment? First and foremost, they are looking for humanitarian aid. We need to get food out there. There is a co-ordinated European approach, and it needs to happen immediately. We need to fast-track Ukraine's membership of the EU. That will send a strong statement to the Russians that we are four-square behind the Ukrainians. I wish to refer to the security of the State. We had the Irish Aviation Authority before the transp…

I support the motion.

In Limerick and north County Tipperary, more than 100 clubs and organisations got sports capital funding. It is a very good measure and there has been a significant increase on previous years. In the appeals process, there will be some clubs and sporting organisations that are deemed invalid because the type of application they put forward is not covered under the scheme, and there will be others that are invalid because they have not submitted the correct documentation. There is a major distinction. Will the Minis…

It is good to hear that the appeals process is getting under way in March. It will be welcomed. I have a few quick follow-on questions regarding that process. There has been inflation in the cost of materials. Following on from Deputy Stanton's point, will the Minister of State allow clubs to appeal to get an increase in the amount they have been allocated? Following on from that, the next round of sports capital funding could be very significant. If it is returning to an annual basis, clubs that received insuffici…

One of the actions under Housing for All involves reviewing the income eligibility for social housing. When will that be brought forward? I put a proposal to the Government and to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage on the basis that we have seen no increase in the income limits for nearly 11 years now. At the time, in April 2011, there was an increase of €5,000, which was based around and was very similar to the average industrial wage. The average industrial wage has gone up by about 20%. I ha…

I think this is an energy upgrade scheme, as distinct from a retrofit scheme. I raised this in the Dáil with the Minister on 20 January. My issue at that time was the anomaly whereby someone on the free energy upgrade scheme was only entitled to apply once. Someone who might have applied prior to 2018, before double-glazed windows were part of the scheme, could not apply a second time after the windows had been included in the scheme. That has now been rectified, which I very much welcome. Now under the free energy…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for facilitating me in regard to this important topic. I want to begin with the Housing for All document. The review of the income eligibility for social housing is pending. It is something I feel strongly about. As a Deputy in Limerick city and north Tipperary, the whole issue of social housing is something I deal with every day of the week with constituents. When we look at the income limits for social housing, we find that the last substantial change to those limits was in April 2011,…

Over the past 11 years, rents have gone up by 100% in the private sector, the price of houses has gone up by 45%, and the price of the average home has gone from €212,000 to €295,000. The income limits were set based on the average industrial wage, so these limits must go up to keep pace with that. My proposal is a straightforward one. I ask that we make a €5,000 increase on all bands, an increase for the adult dependant by the same 20% from 5% to 6% with a cap of 12%, and an increase for the child from 2.5% to 3%,…

I welcome the Ministers of State. In the time I have, I want to deal with Covid in the context of both Limerick, with University Hospital Limerick, UHL, and more widely. At present, UHL has 89 patients on trolleys but there are 78 patients in the hospital with Covid. There is a direct correlation. We have a new 60-bed ward. That 60-bed ward was supposed to alleviate the emergency department, ED. That is being used as an isolation ward for Covid. There are 78 patients in UHL with Covid. There are five in ICU. It is …