Mar a dúradh níos luaithe, tá súil againn gurb í seo an uair dheireanach a bheidh orainn déileáil le scéimeanna cosúil leo seo mar gheall ar Covid-19. As was mentioned previously, we all are hoping that this will be the last time that we have to deal with these Covid-related measures. Hopefully, we really are seeing the back of Covid-19. This Bill will give legislative effect to the changes to certain Covid support schemes announced by the Government in December 2021 and January 2022. They were the changes announce…

Mar is eol don Aire Stáit, bhí ionad páirtaimseartha sa Chlochán inár nDáilcheantar féin. Ó dúnadh é sin, bhí go leor de mhuintir Chonamara i dteagmháil liom mar gheall nach raibh siad in ann fáil ar sheirbhísí ceadúnais chomh héasca agus a bhíodh. Bíonn siad ag rá go bhfuil orthu dul isteach sa chathair, rud a thógann uair go leith. Dúirt bean amháin liom i ríomhphost go bhfuil timpeall 50 ríomhphost seolta aici chuig an NDLS le bliain anuas ag iarraidh an dáta ar a mbeidh an t-ionad NDLS a bhí i dTeach an Stáisiú…

Tugann Seachtain na Gaeilge deis dúinn machnamh a dhéanamh ar stádas agus staid na Gaeilge sa Stát agus sa tír seo trí cheile, go deimhin. Bíodh is gurbh í an Ghaeilge an chéad teanga oifigiúil de chuid an Stáit seo is teanga mhionlaigh fós í agus táim den bharúil go bhfuil sé in am ag an Stát breathnú an athuair ar na spriocanna móra agus an fhís atá ann i leith na Gaeilge. Tá go leor cainte faoi láthair, mar shampla, maidir le traslitriú ainm phríomhchathair na hÚcráine, Kyiv, agus céard é an leagan is dílse don …

I welcome the motion. Our thoughts are with all those who are so terribly affected and impacted. The Minister, Deputy Donohoe, rightly criticised the actions of the Putin regime as unacceptable and illegal. He stated that we need to be part of the response to that. I agree. Of course, how we respond is what matters. We are citizens of a neutral country which often punches way above its weight in international affairs. It is great to see the EU solidarity on this matter but, of course, accountability starts at home.…

I have not seen it.

That is no problem at all.

That is fair enough. It is always good to have accuracy. Will the statutory company information in the Companies Registration Office, CRO, be made free, as it is in Companies House in Britain? Are we going to continue to allow these Russian-connected companies operate tax free because they can avail of the section 110 tax concession? Are we going to introduce any kind of accountability to that small network of professional services, including legal and accountancy firms that service them? These are the primary bene…

The current number of patients on waiting lists in my constituency is difficult to take in. A total of 8,866 people are currently on waiting lists for inpatient care in the Galway University Hospitals. As the Minister knows, there is a story behind every single one of those figures. There is a person in need and a family who are worried. Shockingly, more than 2,000 of those people have been waiting for more than 18 months for an appointment. We have all heard stories of people who are languishing on these waiting l…

The question relates to value for money on large capital projects. Will the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform report on that with respect to the new national children's hospital and the national maternity hospital, for example?

Value for money is important and many people have concerns when there are large capital overruns. When the Secretary General of the Department of Health appeared before the Committee of Public Accounts recently, he would not be drawn on the final cost of the children's hospital. One member of the committee suggested that it could be close to €2.2 billion. The Minister will be aware that this is an issue of major concern to people. Is that suggested figure much closer to the final one than the official figure of €1.…

I welcome the reforms that the Minister has introduced and I understand his role in this matter, but as he can imagine, people look at him as the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and query such issues, which are of considerable concern to many. We have seen cost overruns for quite some time. There are a number of examples: the national road improvement works had an estimated cost of €7 billion but its final cost was €15.5 billion, representing a cost overrun of approximately 125% while the Luas green line…

I would like to hear from the Minister in regard to the forthcoming regulation of lobbying (amendment) Bill. This is an area in which the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach, the Minister and I have an interest and an issue that regularly comes up in the media and in the public domain. I would be interested in hearing an update on the Bill.

I agree with the Minister that reform in this area is extremely important. My understanding in regard to the forthcoming Bill is that it does not make provision for an extension of the cooling off period to two years. Section 7 of the Bill which Deputy Doherty and I drafted amends section 22 of the principal Act and extends the cooling off period for designated public officials leaving public office from one to two years. This particular move from one to two years is recommended, including by the Standards in Publi…

I agree that the enforcement of the contravention is key. That will, hopefully, stop people ignoring the timeline of one or two years depending on what is decided. While I agree with the Minister that people have to be able to earn a living afterwards, we need to be very clear that we are shutting the revolving door that is perceived out there between politics and big business. That is, unfortunately, an attitude people have towards politics. We cannot have a situation where former politicians or others are able to…

I want to raise the issue of regular flooding on the Kylemore road in County Galway. When flooding occurs, it looks no longer like a road but instead like a river. It is extremely dangerous for people who are trying to pass. The road is regularly used by tourists, who may not understand the dangers posed by the flooding. When it is impassible, it means a 30 km detour for anybody wanting to go through there. An associated issue is that concerns have been raised about the impact dredging would have on the pearl musse…

I am sorry, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I usually do not come in on colleagues' questions.

I only saw it was to do with flooding.

The Minister is more prepared than I am. I ask him to give an update on the capital projects outlined in the national development plan, NDP, including any that may be behind schedule.

I thank the Minister for that update. We are all acutely aware of how important capital projects are for the infrastructure deficit that we have in so many aspects of our daily life, as well as in different areas across the country. It is for that reason that I thought it was important to ask this question and to get that level of update. Not only will capital projects assist in any infrastructural deficit, they are also important for the creation of good jobs for people across the area and indeed in rural and more…

It is important that that information is available. It is good to see that that is readily and easily available online for those people who are concerned, or who have questions. That aspect of addressing those smaller scale questions directly to the Minister is important for accuracy. I welcome the information that the Minister has given here this evening. It is important. I will share it with those people who have contacted me about different capital projects and ensuring that they are delivered on time.