We have a very busy schedule this week. The Dáil will sit until 12 midnight tonight. It will resume at 9 o'clock in the morning and will sit until after 10 o'clock tomorrow night. It will resume at 9 o'clock on Thursday morning and sit until after 10 o'clock that night. I acknowledge that it is a busy schedule. However, there is important legislation that we need to pass, including a measure on the cost of living eliminating paediatric inpatient charges in our hospitals; an important anti-crime measure, namely, the…

-----doing what parliaments are supposed to do, namely, spending time on legislation.

I agree. Again-----

You always know you are speaking the truth and touching a raw nerve when the Opposition tries to shout you down.

We are-----

-----the Legislature. We are here to pass legislation. Looking at other parliaments around the world, they spend more time on legislation, doing what they are supposed to do, and less time on motions, statements and showboating.

We should change our rules in September so that we spend more time on legislation and less on all the other stuff.

I acknowledge the very important and valuable work done by the staff of the Irish Wheelchair Association. As the Deputy will be aware, this association is a charity and not a Government body and the staff there are not Government employees. Even if we were to increase funding for the charity, there would not necessarily be a guarantee that the money would go to the staff by way of increased pay, although I imagine there could be an agreement around that. However, as is the case with any pay or industrial relations …

We will certainly examine the Bill. Sometimes there is also the law of unintended consequences when it comes to these things so we will have to examine it carefully but we will do so with an open mind. I firmly support an amendment to our Constitution to modernise the definition of family which is more reflective of the world we live in than was the case in 1937 but there are many referendums on the go at the moment. It is an important one, however, and one I would like to bring forward.

I thank the Deputy. I am aware of the problem but I am not sure if it is correct to say that the areas affected can never be defined as rent pressure zones. I will certainly let the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, know that the Deputy has raised the matter and I will ask him to reply to the Deputy again.

I thank the Deputy for his question. I want to first of all express my sympathy on behalf of the Government to the families who having experienced the tragedy of losing a beloved child and had their grief compounded by the fact that organs and tissue of their child were disposed of in an inappropriate manner. These instances were identified as part of an audit of post-mortem practices in Cork University Hospital, CUH, and CUMH. I can confirm that since October 2022, the University Limerick Hospitals Group have been…

I thank the Deputy. The Government has not agreed any final targets yet for the agricultural sector but they will be in the range of 22% to 30%. As far as other sectors go, such as industry, transport or electricity, we are asking for the lowest emissions reductions from the agricultural sector because we recognise it is a special sector, is involved in food production, and needs to be specially treated. That is why the lowest targets of any sector are being asked of the agricultural one. We are facing a climate cr…

The intention is to have the legislation enacted by the end of next week and obviously it then needs to go to the Áras for the President to sign. All things going to plan, we anticipate the scheme being open for applications well before the end of the year. We want to see houses being repaired, demolished and rebuilt next year.

I will certainly make the Minister for Health aware of the request. I have engaged with Cystic Fibrosis Ireland on a number of occasions as Minister for Health and since then. I have found it a very professional patient advocacy body which works with Government, industry and specialist doctors very successfully. It has helped us to improve cystic fibrosis care in Ireland immeasurably over the past ten or 12 years. I will certainly make sure the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, is aware of the request. I am sure, …

I will check that out. As the Deputy has acknowledged, the scheme is run by the Department of Social Protection under the Minister, Deputy Humphreys. I am not sure if there is a specific exclusion for taxi drivers or if it is a general exclusion relating to self-employment. It is definitely not that because I know of barbers who have availed of it and are self-employed. I will check it out. There may be a good reason for it, but maybe whatever the reason was is no longer valid. I will check it out and come back to …

I will definitely check that out again. I know that the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, is bringing through the legislation to transpose the EU directive. My understanding is that it will be enacted very soon and before August. I am not sure if it covers domestic violence fully and that may be the issue. It largely relates to flexible working for carers and parents. I will follow up and come back to the Deputy. It might be legislation that we can do.

The Minister of State, Deputy English, who is responsible for work permits and work visas, is examining that matter at the moment. It is a good idea on the face of it but not as straightforward as we might like it to be. Unlike, for example, nursing or other professions, it is not fully registered or regulated either abroad or here. When a nurse or a doctor comes from overseas, for example, from India or the Philippines, we know who they are and we know who regulates them here. That is not so straightforward with h…

I acknowledge that this is an unacceptable situation. I really feel for the parents who in many ways have had insult added to injury by the fact that this report has not been published yet. The note in front of me advises that the HSE will publish a number of internal audit reports by mid-July. It will include those completed by the HSE internal audit office during the second quarter of 2022. One of these audits relates to compliance by hospitals with the Health Service Executive's standards and recommended practic…

I once again acknowledge the important and valuable work done by the staff of the Irish Wheelchair Association. As the Deputy will know, in fact and in law they are not public servants, are not employees of the State or any State agency or body. Maybe they should be, but they are not. They are employed by a charity, the Irish Wheelchair Association. Having said that the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, which is an office of my Department is always available to assist in resolving these disputes. I encourage the…

It is very difficult to reply without knowing the details of the individual case. I had the opportunity to visit Connolly Hospital on Friday, one of the hospitals in the State where we are seeing waiting lists fall, which is really encouraging. This is down to the quality of the staff, the management there and the additional resources. The fact that this man has been waiting more than six months for the operation should mean that he will be eligible to have the operation done privately through the NTPF and paid for…