There is a group meeting today on that issue. I agree with the Deputy that it is important that leaving certificate students have clarity about this. They need to know the rules of the game, exactly what exam they are preparing for and the format and context of it. We will provide them with that clarity in the very near future. When it comes to the pandemic, we are now moving into a different phase and chapter of managing it. Certainly, the risk in schools is lower than it was a few months ago, in part because the …

I will bring the competition (amendment) Bill to Cabinet next Tuesday and I expect it to be published later in the week. It will give the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, and potentially ComReg, additional powers to impose administrative fines and make it easier to fine companies that are in breach of the rules and competition law and to give the agency more powers on interception and, in particular, surveillance. The legislation will go to Cabinet on Tuesday and will be published sometime next week.…

The figures I placed on the record of the Dáil were provided to me by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. I am sure it verifies them but I will check that it does so because it is important. It is fair to say we are behind target in the roll-out of the national broadband plan. We have not passed as many homes as had been anticipated. The figures I have indicate the numbers connected are doing quite well and are largely in line with the target. As the Deputy pointed out, we can pass premis…

I thank the Deputy. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, was very keen to have this report published in full. She sought the advice of the Attorney General whose very strong legal advice was that it could not be published in full for reasons that have been explained. The Deputy is asking me whether it could be published in a redacted form. That I do not know. Perhaps it can be but it is something I will take up with the Minister. I did not have a chance to speak in the House yesterday and very briefly I want to …

I thank the Deputy. As he mentioned, those meetings are happening today. We hope and expect to be able to give students clarity on the format of the leaving certificate in the very near future. As the Deputy is aware, the orals and aurals will be taking place during the Easter holidays to allow more time for preparation. The decision on subject choices has been made already so there is just a final thing to decide on, which is whether there will be the hybrid or the more traditional model. I have heard different vi…

I appreciate that the Deputy has raised this issue with me in the past but I am not familiar with the details of the situation. I will certainly let the Minister, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, know that the Deputy has raised it again to see if he can contact the Deputy directly on the issue.

I am afraid I do not have an update on this issue for the Deputy but I will ask the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, to provide him with one. He will need to make an appointment, as I believe it is under his remit rather than under the Department of Health that this is done. I will have to double-check on this but he will need to appoint people to fill those positions.

I thank the Deputy for his question. As this is matter for Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the Minister for Transport, I will ask him to provide the Deputy with a reply on it.

The legislation to establish the mica scheme on a statutory footing is priority legislation for the Government. It will happen this session. We expect it to be no later than Easter and probably before then.

I thank the Deputy for his question. I join the Deputy in expressing my solidarity with the people of Tonga. They have experienced an extraordinary event, a volcanic eruption and a tsunami, which has wrought devastation on that small island state. As the Deputy is aware, Ireland is a member of the international community. As a member of the UN Security Council, we have a particularly special relationship with small island developing states, including Tonga, which were very supportive of us on a number of occasions …

I very much support the introduction of leave in the event of miscarriage. The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is going to commission some research in this area to see what is best practice and what is done around the world. Both the Philippines and New Zealand have a law on it. I would like Ireland to be among of the first countries to do so. However, it is a complicated area, perhaps more so than it may appear. There are many different types of miscarriage and the impact can be…

I thank Deputy Andrews for raising this important issue. I am afraid I do not have up-to-date information on the matter but I will ask the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Madigan, to contact the Deputy's office directly with a reply as soon as possible.

A number of Deputies have raised the issue of the roads programme with me in recent weeks. In the programme for Government we made a clear commitment that when it comes to investment in new transport projects, two thirds will go to public transport and one third will go to the roads programme. That means we still have a roads programme and we will continue to construct new roads and continue to produce a pipeline of additional roads. However, the money only goes so far and Transport Infrastructure Ireland has to ma…

As the Deputy mentioned, that meeting is happening today. The Minister, Deputy Foley, is very keen to hear the views of all stakeholders - the teachers' unions, parent groups and student groups - and make a decision on it. As I mentioned earlier, the most important thing is that we should give leaving certificate students clarity in the very near future, without any unnecessary delay, about the format of the examination they will sit. It is only fair that we should give that information to them as soon as possible,…

As a former Minister with responsibility for transport, I am very aware of this matter and the essential search and rescue services provided by our Coast Guard and its contractors. As there is a contractual process under way, I am a little limited in what I can say. I can say what we expect to be the outcome and a contractual process must follow. We anticipate the outcome will be that there will continue to be four bases and they will be the same four bases at Waterford, Sligo, Cork and Dublin. I think it is those …

I thank the Deputy. I am very much aware of the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, as is anybody who has had the privilege of holding ministerial office. I know it confers enormous responsibility on Ministers but it does not confer on them the authority to discipline or reprimand civil servants.

There are processes in place.

As I said, when it comes to any public servant, there are-----

That file is with the Minister of State, Deputy Damien English, as the matter was delegated to him. I anticipate those seven appointments will be made probably as soon as this week, or if not this week then next week.

I have enormous sympathy for people who are affected by sterilisation with regard to road projects. Even if takes a long time for a road to be built, just going from five possible routes to one frees four tracts of land. If the road project is more advanced, narrowing a wide corridor a bit can free land on which people can build houses, farm buildings, etc. I very much appreciate the dilemma many people around the country face as a consequence of the announcement by Transport Infrastructure Ireland. The Government …