For now, the only exceptions to having to have a negative PCR test result on coming into the country are if one is under six years of age, if one is part of the transport supply chain such as the pilot, cabin crew or haulier or for compassionate grounds where someone needs to race back to the country in an emergency. We can consider further exceptions into the future and I will take up what the Deputy has mentioned with our medical people and scientists. We want to see first how this works before we start adding ne…

I am surprised at how quickly the Deputy becomes sanctimonious. He is forever using Covid to score political points. He did exactly that in his contribution only half an hour ago and made no mention of the sad deaths of at least 50 people yesterday. Sinn Féin beats the band when it comes to using Covid to score political points, but it will not do the two things it should do to help. The first is to convince the Northern Ireland Executive to introduce the same rules as ours in respect of international travel. If it…

I am not. The Minister for Finance has responsibility.

I do not have any information on the vaccine programme, either in the Mater or in Beacon Hospital. I will ask the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, to reply to the Deputy, if he can.

First, with regard to memorialisation, the Government has taken a decision to develop a national repository for all archives relating to institutions, and I know the Deputy welcomes that. There are different suggestions as to where it should be located but we intend to press ahead with it, not just so people can have access to records but also in order that the records can be studied. We and other countries can learn from that. With regard to survivors of the Magdalen institutions, they have received an enhanced me…

I obviously cannot make any commitments on behalf of KPMG. It is a court-sponsored liquidation process and the Deputy will appreciate why I cannot intervene. There will be workers' rights legislation, including legislation on sick pay. We might not have it in this session, but I anticipate we will have it in the first half of the year. I hope I will have the co-operation of the House in getting that legislation passed before the summer recess so we can implement it before the end of the year. I am aware of the deci…

The Deputy is absolutely right to raise the issue of nursing homes. In the first and second waves of the infection the majority of deaths that occurred in Ireland as a consequence of Covid-19 involved people who were residents of nursing homes. There has been a similar pattern across the developed world. It is mainly due to fact that the people who are living in nursing homes tend to be elderly and frail in health terms. That is why we have prioritised vaccinating nursing home residents and staff, all of whom will …

A lot of them were already working in other parts of the health service, including in nursing homes, and wanted to move to hospitals. I will get the Deputy a better update on it.

The Government is engaging with the banks all the time. Sometimes the engagement is very robust. I can tell the Deputy that for certain, having been present at some of the meetings. In circumstances where people cannot pay a business loan or a mortgage because of the effect of Covid on their income, mortgage breaks and loan breaks will be available. Other solutions such as interest-only repayments or reduced payments might also be made available. That commitment is there from the banks. It is not a blanket approach…

The higher charge results in a lower interest rate. The second difference is the fact that we in Ireland, for very good reason, make it very hard for a bank to repossess a house and that has an impact on mortgage rates.

Even the European banks that provide mortgages here add on a premium for that reason.

On the first point, yes, the heads of the Bill have been brought to Cabinet. That will be provided for in legislation that the Minister of State, Deputy Troy, and I will bring through to increase the powers of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, CCPC. We are going to include in that Bill giving ComReg the power to levy administrative sanctions. We expect the Bill to be published and to go through the Houses in this session. We intend to do that because of a European deadline we have to meet as well.…

I do not want to be in that space for giving advice on what medicines people should take.

In response to Deputy O'Donnell, the commitment I can give is that community healthcare workers, GPs, dentists and pharmacists will be included in group 2. I will take it up with the task force next week to make sure that happens. I appreciate that there are going to be differences from one part of the country to the other and from one community healthcare organisation, CHO, to another, but they will be managed in the best possible way. In response to the question on special educational needs, SEN, the Minister of …

I thank the Deputy. The cross-Border scheme derived from European law, the cross-border directive. Northern Ireland is no longer in the European Union, unfortunately; that was beyond our control. Therefore, the cross-Border directive no longer applies. People may still travel to other EU countries under the cross-border directive. The Minister for Health has approval from the Cabinet to introduce an administrative scheme, not on a legislative basis, that would be analogous to what was there before, thus allowing pe…

I am no more obsessed with Sinn Féin than the Deputy is obsessed with berating the Government at every opportunity rather than being constructive. I will certainly take up the matter she raises with the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly. Medical cards need to be reviewed from time to time to confirm that people are still eligible. Special arrangements were brought in during the course of the pandemic and I will certainly inform the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, that the Deputy raised concerns in the Dáil and I will…

I can confirm that in level 5 social housing construction can continue because it is necessary. It is among the exceptions made for construction. On the question of Sinn Féin's housing policy, one could probably say Sinn Féin is in favour of housing in theory but not in practice. It consistently votes against it when it has the opportunity. This Government and the previous Government, at least for the past couple of years, has produced more social housing per head than was the case in Northern Ireland. The party is…

Under the protocol for prioritising people for the vaccine, the first group comprises nursing home residents and staff, as the Deputy knows. The second group comprises healthcare workers who have patient-facing roles and who either work with Covid-19 patients or other patients, such as in emergency departments. They are most at risk and they are supposed to be prioritised over healthcare staff who do not have patient-facing roles. We must allow a certain level of flexibility in hospitals but the Government policy a…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter and I know he has raised it many times in the past. It is on the priority list of the legislative programme published the other day.

I am aware of the concerns about Castlerea fire station and Senator Aisling Dolan has raised the matter as well. I do not personally know the details but I will certainly speak to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and let him know this was raised by the Deputy in the Chamber and ask him to engage with her directly on it.