There has been the Smithwick tribunal of which Deputy Tóibín will be aware. I have not seen the Bill on the commission of investigation so we will certainly examine that when we have had a chance to see it. There are a number of files and investigations still open, as the Deputy knows, in regard to offences that occurred in the past, as well as collusion.

I thank Deputy Danny Healy-Rae for raising this important issue. As he will be aware, the Government, the party I lead, and, indeed, the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, who is responsible for planning in this area, support the right of people to build rural housing on land that they own in order that they can live in their communities or live near their parents, as the case may be. However, we have to get the balance right between proper planning and people's right to build their own homes on their own land.…

I am deeply conscious of the anxiety experienced by many families where there are no appropriate school place available to them. Indeed, this is a hot issue in Dublin 15 in my own constituency, where we need approximately three additional special classes. There was a hot-and-heavy public meeting about the matter this week. The Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, the Ministers of State, Deputies Chambers and Madigan, and I are working on solutions at present. There has been a major increase in provision for special needs in …

I thank Deputy Bacik. I acknowledge that medical scientists are essential to the health service. Patients and members of the public often do not see what they do because they work in laboratories rather than in patient-facing areas. As a medical doctor, I know what they do and I know how important they are to the health service. I would certainly like to see this dispute resolved. My Department, as the Deputy will be aware, has two offices under its remit, the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and the Labour Cou…

I will answer them as best I can. I would not have been involved directly in this; it would have been dealt with by the Ministers, Deputies Donohoe, Michael McGrath and Darragh O'Brien. Speaking to some construction companies and developers in recent weeks, I am aware that they are not happy with this. This is not the scheme that they would have organised or arranged. They would have preferred some sort of tax break or tax incentive, and they are not particularly enamoured of the Government's scheme. It is fair to …

The Deputy can rest assured that the Government still has a majority in the Dáil and a substantial majority in the Seanad. As he pointed out, there is little or no evidence that the Opposition parties would be able to come together to form an alternative Government. You do not need an election to form an alternative Government. The parties opposite could have formed a left-wing Government two years ago but they decided not to. The position in that regard has not changed. The Government will address the matters rais…

I am very sorry to hear about that case. I do not know the details but if the Deputy wishes to pass them to me, I will certainly look into it. It probably relates to a specialist childhood obesity clinic rather than disability services. If the Deputy passes on the details, I will see if there is anything we can do.

As measured by the survey on income and living conditions, the official Central Statistics Office statistics indicate much progress in recent years. Living standards have improved, median incomes have gone up, rates of poverty and deprivation are down. Inequality, as measured by the Gini coefficient, has narrowed. That may not be the prevailing narrative but those are the facts. There is a big risk now that because of the cost-of-living crisis, we may see the progress reversed. It is important we do all we can as a…

The Deputy might send me the details. If I understand him correctly, the company is seeking a licence for a commercial service and is not looking for a subsidy. I do not see why the NTA would refuse a licence. If it works, it works and if it does not, it does not. If the Deputy sends the details I will see if I can look into it.

The treatment benefit scheme is great. People pay their PRSI and get benefits in return, including optical and dental benefits. It is linked to PRSI, as the Deputy knows. I have not heard of qualified adults needing consent. There must be a way around that. I am sure it is not necessary because the Department of Social Protection should have the data already. I can certainly see how there would be a difficulty, especially if there is a strained relationship or abuse in a relationship. That is not right. I welcome t…

I thank Deputy Leddin for the question. I am a strong supporter of the plans of the Minister, Deputy Ryan, for commuter rail in Limerick and Cork. It could really make a big difference for the cities in terms of the climate, quality of life and future development. The new Shannon task force has just been appointed. One thing I have asked it to do is engage with the three local authorities and the Oireachtas Members who represent the area. There will be an opportunity for direct engagement with the task force, which…

I thank the Deputy. Those are very fair questions that deserve comprehensive answers. I would be afraid to give the Deputy an answer and get it wrong. On foot of that, I will tell the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, who is responsible for this area, that he has raised the issue and ask her to come back directly to him with replies.

I thank the Deputy. It is useful to put on the record of the House that in the past ten years the number of special classes has increased from approximately 500 to 2,000. We now have almost 20,000 special needs assistants, which is not far off double the number we had ten years ago. New special schools have opened in Cork and Dublin this year. There has been a huge increase in resources and provision in this area. I acknowledge it is not enough. Many parents are worried about whether there will be a place for their…

I acknowledge that this is a significant issue not only in Wexford but across the country. The HSE has considerable resources. Last year was the first in a very long time that it was not in a position to spend all of its budget. The budget has been increased to approximately €22 billion. The difficulty the HSE often has is finding suitable qualified staff. This is a real challenge at present. In the context of Wexford, I will certainly make sure that the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, knows the Deputy has rais…

I responded to a question on this from Deputy Cian O'Callaghan earlier, so I do not want to expand too much on what I said. I want to reiterate that these are serious allegations, and serious allegations should be investigated seriously. People are entitled to due process and fair procedure, and that will happen. It is a matter for the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to consider whether he thinks it appropriate to extend the scope of the existing investigation or to find another way to have them examined.

I thank Deputies for their contributions. I have been very clear on the medium-term plan, which is to make sure that employers know what their obligations will be and that employees know what their rights are. The statutory entitlement to sick pay will be phased in as part of a four-year plan. The initial entitlement would be to three paid sick leave days per year once the Bill is enacted and commenced. This will, effectively, fill the gap in coverage caused by the illness benefit waiting days. Closing the gap of c…

The argument I am making, which I often make, is one in favour of incremental progress. I appreciate that for many people progress is too slow, but I have a responsibility as Minister to listen to all sides of the argument and to look at it from the point of view of employers as well as that of employees. In my view, the most important workers' right is the right to work, and I want to raise the bar continually to improve pay, terms and conditions and workers' rights, but not to the extent that businesses will beco…

On Committee Stage, the Minister of State, Deputy English, signalled our intention to move an amendment on Report Stage to address the issues raised by the Deputies. The purpose of the amendment is to eliminate uncertainty as to the entitlement of certain workers to sick leave. Section 5 is linked to the Minimum Notice and Terms of Employment Act 1973. This means that employees will not have to qualify again for sick leave merely because they are regularly laid off, for instance, over the summer period. We are well…

"Yes" is the short answer, provided there is no break longer than 26 weeks, but I will double-check. If I am wrong about it, we can come back to it.

It is not the most elegant language.