If Deputy Murphy wants me to check on that particular case I would be happy to do so. However, I am advised by the HSE that the median turn-around time is approximately two days, but I imagine there are cases where that does not happen.

I appreciate this is an important issue for the Deputy and for his constituents. I am afraid I am at a disadvantage in that I did not know this topic was going to be raised and I do not have a note on it. I am aware, however, that there are implications from that court case. The Minister for Finance is across that issue and is working on a solution, if it is possible to come up with one, which I am sure it will be. On assessments, my strong view is that if an assessment can be carried out virtually it should be don…

I beg the Deputy's indulgence in allowing me to come back to him on this. I do not have sight of any of those letters. I know this is an issue and it has been raised by other Deputies. I will be in contact with the Minister for Finance later today and I will get the Deputy a proper reply as soon as possible. I appreciate this is an issue that needs to be sorted but I do not want to give an assurance or make a comment here in the Dáil that might turn out to be incorrect.

When patients are admitted to a public hospital, they have the option of whether they wish to be treated as private or public patients, depending on their insurance status. Patients opting to be treated privately in a public hospital have chosen to pay the consultant and the hospital for the services each provides. The fee is not just for the bed, therefore, it is for the service of the consultant and for other services provided by the hospital. Under section 55 of the Health Act 1970, the HSE is required to levy s…

Charges are a matter for the HSE, operating under section 55 of the Health Act. Perhaps the solution for the HSE would be not to charge for the night if the person is in hospital for, let us say, four or five days. That is the average length of stay in hospital. Perhaps it would be sensible for the HSE not to charge for the first night if the patient ends up spending that night on a trolley or sitting on a chair, but that is a decision for the HSE to make. On the positive side, while there are still patients on tro…

I see that the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation still does a daily trolley count but has discontinued the monthly count, which used to show that X month or Y month was the worst month ever, because that is not the case any more and we have seen a huge reduction in overcrowding, which is a positive.

On behalf of the Government, I congratulate John on his retirement and thank him for his wonderful service down the years. It has been great to have him looking after us and watching out for us ever since I have been a Teachta Dála. We wish him and his family the very best in his retirement and thank him so much. The Debenhams issue is a matter before the courts. Of course I would condemn any breach of any court order or written assurance. I have not seen such a written assurance - I have to add that caveat - but i…

Regarding face coverings, the advice we are offering the public is that face masks and face coverings are vastly superior to visors, which are not particularly effective. There are certain circumstances when people genuinely cannot wear a face mask or face covering. They are few, however, and in all other instances we advise people to use a face mask and not a visor which is not particularly effective.

The Deputy is correct. There are particular exceptions and circumstances. With regard to rapid testing, I share the Deputy Kelly's view. Rapid testing, antigen testing, has a role to play in getting on top of this virus. Unlike polymerase chain reaction, PCR, which costs nearly €150 to €200 per go, rapid testing is approximately €5 to €10 and one gets a result quickly. It could be helpful in screening visitors to nursing homes, people in hospitals, hospital staff, and potentially, for travel. The Deputy and I proba…

I will have to speak to the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, about that and see whether it can be accommodated within her budget. There are administrative issues every time one changes a social welfare scheme such as this. However, the sooner it can be introduced, the better. I hear what the Deputy is saying in that regard. I will speak to the Minister about it and see if that is possible. There may be good reasons, other than money, that it cannot be done before that. Obviously, we need legislation. I am sure we can do…

The business of the House is ordered by the Business Committee. It is not in my power to change that.

I am advised the legislation is being brought forward in the Seanad to provide urgent and critical legal clarity surrounding the future of a database compiled by the mother and baby homes commission. The Bill is being brought forward to preserve invaluable information and not to put it beyond reach, as is being reported. The Bill will make it possible for the database that has been compiled by the commission to be accessible under current legislation and to make it available for use under future birth information a…

The negotiations are ongoing. We do not accept any artificial deadline and negotiations will continue between the European Union and the UK on a free trade agreement. Preparations largely led by my Department are being made to prepare businesses for the changes that will take place no matter what on 1 January when the UK leaves the Single Market and the customs union. I wrote to every business - all one quarter of a million of them - personally last week setting out exactly what they need to do to prepare for the c…

I will have to come back to the Deputy on that. I will ask the Minister of State to correspond directly with him on it.

At the moment, and indeed for many years, the Christmas bonus is paid to pensioners and to those who are on a long-term social welfare payment for more than 15 months. In the budget we changed this so that the Christmas bonus will now be available to anyone who has been on the PUP or jobseeker's allowance for four of the last nine months. As such it is being opened up to many hundreds of thousands of people who would not have received it previously.

I will deal with the two matters separately. On the matter raised by Deputy Sherlock, the news that Ryanair is closing its bases at Cork Airport and Shannon Airport for the winter comes as a huge blow to Cork and Shannon, to both regions and particularly to staff in the airports and the Ryanair staff affected. It is happening as a consequence of the fact that so few people are travelling now due to the pandemic and also in part because of the very strict travel rules we have put in place. These rules have been put …

As these cases are before the courts, perhaps the less I say about them the better. The case mentioned by the Deputy was settled without admission of liability. The person taking the case withdrew most of her claims and it was settled on that basis, unfortunately with the vast majority of the money going to legal people rather than the person who was affected. However, perhaps it sets a template by which the State Claims Agency can settle the other cases quickly and I certainly encourage the agency to settle cases …

I thank the Deputy for raising this important matter. An Post has transformed as a company in recent years. A few years ago, it was losing a lot of money but it has really transformed its business and its service since then. The whole parcel delivery service has become very lucrative for it and of course it is getting back into financial services and banking. As such I am very encouraged by the transformation and changes that have happened in An Post in recent years. I totally agree that our network of local and ru…

I thank Deputy Carroll MacNeill for raising the issue of pregnancy loss and infant loss. I know it is a deeply traumatic experience for so many people whom we know. When I was the Minister for Health, I had the privilege of producing Ireland's first national maternity strategy, which is being implemented and there is funding for it in the budget, which I am delighted to see. The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, managed to secure more funding for it than I did and I welcome the fact this is happening. Part of the …

The budget announced on Tuesday provides an extra €36 million for local authorities. I do not know exactly how it will be allocated. I will ask the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, to come back to the Deputy with more information on it and to respond to his query directly.