I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Deputy O'Dowd has raised it as well. I do not have an up-to-date note on it, and I do not want to give the Deputy information that might be misleading. I will inform the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, that she raised the matter as a priority and ask him to provide her with a report directly.

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." This Bill creates a new workers’ right in Ireland. For the first time, employees in Ireland will be entitled to statutory sick pay from their employers. It is one of five new workers' rights I am establishing this year. The other four are: a new public holiday, which has been signed into law; the right to request remote working, which is undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny in committee; better protection of workplace tips and gratuities, through the Payment of Wage…

I thank colleagues for their considered contributions throughout the debate, which I found very useful in terms of ideas as to how we can improve the Bill. I am very pleased that it has broad cross-party support, at least in principle. The Bill will ensure that for the first time in Ireland, almost all employees will be entitled to paid sick leave in the event that they are unable to work due to a certified illness or injury. This will improve workers' rights and public health, reduce inequality between the public …

I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment pursuant to Standing Orders 95(3)(a) and 181(1).

I thank President Zelenskyy for joining us today and sharing with us the heartbreaking and inspiring story of his people's courage and endurance in the face of a grotesque and appalling aggression. It is fair to say that his words moved, inspired and shamed us and the rest of the world for not doing more sooner. Thankfully, because of the brave Ukrainian resistance there is still time. In the long history of our own country we have never invaded another, but we know what it is like to have been invaded and to have …

I thank President Zelenskyy for joining us today and sharing with us the heartbreaking and inspiring story of his people's courage and endurance in the face of a grotesque and appalling aggression. It is fair to say that his words moved, inspired and shamed us and the rest of the world for not doing more sooner. Thankfully, because of the brave Ukrainian resistance there is still time. In the long history of our own country we have never invaded another, but we know what it is like to have been invaded and to have …

But for those responsible for this conflict, we have a simple message from this House. Your actions will never be forgotten. They will never be forgiven. Thanks to the power of modern media, we have seen what you have done. You have made yourselves outcasts in the international community. You have strengthened the Ukrainian national identity. You have united Europe and the West. You have made our values shine brighter ever still. We are a small country but we have a voice. Today we say to the world that Ireland sta…

But for those responsible for this conflict, we have a simple message from this House. Your actions will never be forgotten. They will never be forgiven. Thanks to the power of modern media, we have seen what you have done. You have made yourselves outcasts in the international community. You have strengthened the Ukrainian national identity. You have united Europe and the West. You have made our values shine brighter ever still. We are a small country but we have a voice. Today we say to the world that Ireland sta…

At the outset, I acknowledge the fact that energy prices are rising in Ireland. We are seeing an unprecedented increase in the cost of energy, not just in Ireland but also around the world. We see that in the increase in the cost of petrol, diesel, natural gas, electricity and home heating oil. That is really squeezing people. It is making bills very hard to pay and squeezing many households. It is affecting businesses as well, and those on the lowest incomes in particular. As the Deputy acknowledged, this increase…

That is €1 billion that has already been dedicated to helping people with the cost of fuel and energy. That is significant. Contrast that with Northern Ireland, where Michelle O'Neill has praised Sinn Féin for giving a €200 deduction to low-income households only, and nothing to those on middle incomes. Our response here has been much greater than the response in Northern Ireland, and by Sinn Féin in particular. It is pertinent to make that point given the contrast between what Sinn Féin does in the North, where it…

We all agree that households, families and businesses are suffering from the increase in energy costs. The Deputy mentioned the measures the Government has already approved and we all agree that this is greater than anything Sinn Féin has done in Northern Ireland. That is being seen in the reduction in excise on petrol and diesel; in the €200 being taken off people's electricity bills; and in the increase in the fuel allowance that people have received in recent weeks. Some €1 billion has been allocated to help fam…

As of this morning, more than 10,000 Ukrainians had arrived in Ireland and registered for international protection. We expect that number will rise to 20,000 by the end of the month. It is reasonable to assume that figure will probably hit approximately 40,000 by the end of next month, although nobody can know for sure. What we are seeing is effectively a 1% increase in our population in the course of a few weeks. That is going to have serious impacts on education, healthcare, housing, social protection, the public…

I have been informed by the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, that the Community Call initiative will be reactivated, as suggested by the Deputy, to mobilise the generosity and capacity of the nation to help with this enormous international crisis. Consideration is being given to using section 181(2) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, which confers emergency powers. However, when we tried modular housing before, it was not the solution people make it out to be. If it was all that easy to buil…

We have set aside funding for the Covid-19 contingency. The pandemic is not over yet, so we may need that money for Covid-19. We are not yet in a position to dedicate that to this response. We need also to bear in mind that was to be a one-off spend for this year. I expect whatever we will have to do to help Ukrainians will be a recurring spend for a number of years because tens of thousands of Ukrainians will be with us for a long time, if not indefinitely. We will have to do a budget assessment of that, which is …

I acknowledge Deputy Lowry for raising this important issue and for his ongoing advocacy for people who have cancer and those who have survived it. Friday is Daffodil Day, and I commend the Irish Cancer Society on its decades of advocacy and service provision to people with cancer and cancer survivors. Successive national cancer strategies have delivered continuing improvements in outcomes for Irish cancer patients in terms of earlier diagnosis, better treatment and improved survival. The five-year net survival for…

As I indicated earlier, the Government is examining this matter to see what is being done in other European jurisdictions and how we might do something similar here in the Irish context. Officials from the Department of Finance have met with Insurance Ireland on this. They will also be willing to meet with the Irish Cancer Society to pursue it further. Insurance Ireland advises that life insurance must be underwritten on a case-by-case basis, and that different types of cancers present different types of risk of re…

I believe the record will reflect I gave a substantive reply to Deputy McDonald, to Deputy Shortall and to Deputy Lowry-----

The fact the Deputy did not like or understand the reply is more of a reflection on him than it is on me, quite frankly. In respect of the programme for Government, it is there in black and white. Anyone can read it. It is clear what the programme for Government states on LNG, and that programme for Government was approved after a democratic vote by the Oireachtas Members of my party, our councillors and our members, and everyone in Fianna Fáil and the Green Party. Everyone in the three parties was very aware of wh…

And it is not nice what you said to me either, Deputy, just there, quite frankly. Reflect on it and think about it. Just think about what you said.

Think about what you said.