There is no functioning government in London. In Belfast, there is no functioning government once again. Sinn Féin wants the same here.

Last week, it demanded an early budget to tackle the cost of living, but Sinn Féin is not sincere about that. It is not really on the side of hard-working Irish families. If its motion of no confidence had been passed, we would have been faced with an election in August and, with it taking several months to form a government, the budget would be pushed back and people would not get the help they need this winter. My second point is that this is a good Government, one that I believe is doing good work.

We have done a lot in two years and, yes, we have a lot more to do in the next two or three years. Allow me to put on record just a few examples of the good things this Government is doing. We have invested €40 billion to help businesses and workers get through Covid, doing so through the pandemic unemployment payment and the employment wage subsidy scheme. We have the highest number of people at work in the history of the State, at 2.5 million people, with jobs growth in every region and full employment now within…

I am happy to add those names to the list. The Deputy is making my point for me. All change is not change for the better.

Yes, Sinn Féin would mean radical change - radical change for the worse for the majority of people. Instated of being at the heart of Europe, where we are now, we would be on the periphery, led by a self-declared euro-critical party that opposed the euro, European citizenship and the Single Market, today opposes EU free trade agreements and only last week opposed European defence and security co-operation, known as PESCO. Our influence in Europe would be diminished. Our economy would go into reverse, maybe not imme…

That is because they take our economy for granted. They do not understand that before one can apportion or redistribute wealth, one has to create it, and one has to create it again and again. Under Sinn Féin, the cake would be smaller and that would mean less for everyone in due course. Finally, with regard to climate, it was significant that, as Deputy Bacik rightly pointed out, climate was not referred to in the Sinn Féin motion and was barely mentioned, if at all, in Deputy McDonald's speech. That is because Sin…

It is opposed to any action that might be unpopular, even if it is one that saves the planet, whether it is carbon tax or a ban on wind farms. Sin é, a Cheann Comhairle.

Tá mo mhuinín agus mo thacaíocht leis an Rialtas.

I thank the House for its support for this motion. As the Minister of State said at the outset, the motion will resolve an issue that has been outstanding since the great era of space exploration back in the 1960s. The motion will also help Ireland to stimulate further space activity. The treaty itself dates back to a radically different time when space exploration was in its infancy and the race was under way to put the first man on the moon. However, its core aims are as relevant today as they ever were. The trea…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." I am pleased to introduce the Payment of Wages (Amendment) (Tips and Gratuities) Bill 2022 to the House. The Bill enjoys significant cross-party support. I acknowledge the contribution of Senators, whose thoughtful contributions have helped us refine and improve the Bill. I also acknowledge my colleague, the current Leader of the Seanad and former Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Senator Regina Doherty, who initiated this legislation. I also a…

I acknowledge that we are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis. We are seeing inflation at a level that has not been seen for almost 40 years. While this is driven by international factors in the main, it is very much being felt in every home across the State. Everyone is feeling the squeeze and, of course, those on lowest incomes are feeling it most acutely. The Government's response has been dynamic and we have been responsive to the needs of people during this period of high inflation. That response started in J…

If there is one thing we absolutely agree on it is that back-to-school is really expensive for families, and so is back-to-college. That is why there is an increase in the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance which will be paid from next week. It is why there is an increased SUSI grant for those going to third level and is why we changed the rules only in the last few weeks to allow students to earn more over the summer without affecting their grant. These are changes that are taking effect over the cours…

I again acknowledge on behalf of the Government that back-to-school is a very expensive time for families and puts much pressure on family budgets, as is also the case with back-to-college. The Government is responding. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance will be paid from next week. There is an increase to €160 for children aged four to 11 and €285 for children aged 12 years and older. There is an increase in the third level grant, the SUSI grant, that kicks in in September. We have also made change…

I understand it very well. The hot school meals programme, which is working extremely well, was introduced by my colleague, Senator Regina Doherty, when she was Minister for Social Protection. The back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance is being increased by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys. The former Minister for Education, Deputy Joe McHugh, introduced the grant to encourage schoolbooks rental schemes and extended that to all DEIS schools so we understand very well that the cost of goi…

I thank the Deputy for raising this important policy question. I agree that we should have better data on how money is spent and on where it is spent. That is something that we are very much aligned on. I also agree that governments do not have any money. The only money that governments have is the money that we take from people and business in the form of taxation. It is not our money. It is the people's money. That is why we have to spend it responsibly. That is why we have to account for it properly. We do have …

I am not up to date nor have I been briefed on the issue relating to vascular services in Waterford. I will check up on that. I got the Deputy's email the other day regarding the staffing of the second cath lab in Waterford University Hospital not having proceeded. I am concerned about that too and I have spoken to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and Senator Cummins about it. I will look into that further. It is important to get on with staffing the second cath lab in Waterford University Hospital. Staffing is diffi…

-----there are not many people in Ireland or the world who are currently looking for employment in the cardiology space. We need to begin that recruitment process to recruit as many staff as we can, however, and extend the hours of that service. That is something on which the Deputy can be sure I will follow up. With regard to the health service generally, the fact is that investment in our health service is unprecedented. The figure is €22 billion this year, which is 50% more than when I was Minister for Health, w…

I am not interested in cherry-picking data or statistics. I am a medical doctor by training. I take science and data seriously and I always like to see and know the numbers. When I seek the data, I seek them from reputable independent bodies such as the Central Statistics Office, CSO, or the Central Bank, which act independently and produce robust data that we can stand over. I tend to be a little more sceptical when it comes to surveys that are done by lobbyist groups, interest groups or NGOs because very often th…

I can assure the Deputy that I talk to business owners all the time. I am the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment and that is my job. What they are telling me is that, by and large, they are busy. The biggest problem they have at present is finding staff. That is the biggest issue that is brought to me from business, and not just in hospitality and retail but across the economy. They also tell they are struggling with very high increased input costs, particularly regarding energy, and other costs as well.…

If the Deputy goes to places closer to here and looks at the price of petrol and diesel, such as the North, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Switzerland and other countries in our neighbourhood, he will see the price, unfortunately, is similar to here or higher.