The Taoiseach has no answer. It would be nice to share it.

I wish to deal with two things. On the work envisaged in the establishment of this unit in the Department of the Taoiseach, I understand the models of sectoral engagement are different from the old social partnership process. I ask the Taoiseach to confirm that for me. There is no doubt that workers, businesses and all of society face sudden and unprecedented challenges. The public health emergency and consequent restrictions will create uncertain conditions for working people, but also uncertain trading conditions…

I raised the issue of increased utility costs with the Taoiseach earlier this month. During our exchange he gave an undertaking that the Government would engage with Electric Ireland on the matter. I wrote to him subsequently raising the matter again and last week I raised it again to follow up on the outcome of those Government discussions. At that time, the Taoiseach informed me he had passed the matter on to the Minister with responsibility for climate action, communications networks and transport, Deputy Ryan. …

Go raibh maith agat, a Cheann Comhairle. Restrictions for Dublin city and county were announced on Friday, including restrictions on bars and restaurants banning indoor dining. This particular measure came as a shock. People did not see it coming. According to the Restaurants Association of Ireland it has resulted in tens of thousands of workers being laid off. It is now clear that the Government’s strategy to deal with this pandemic will involve periods of intensifying restrictions and then relaxing them. For this…

The facts are these: we are now living with an ongoing crisis, there are tens of thousands of people who have not worked since March and there are thousands across the city and county of Dublin who got laid off on Friday. The very idea of reducing the payment for these workers at a time when interventions for public health are being made is absolutely extraordinary. The payment of €350 is not a fortune. There is nobody sitting in this Chamber who is on €350 per week. I dare say that the ten special advisers for the…

"Some constitutional complication" is now null and void, as demonstrated from Friday when emergency provisions were reinstated in the city. The Taoiseach knows full well he can reinstate the full ban on evictions and notices to quit.

If he has read the evidence, he will know the initiative had a huge effect on dampening down homelessness numbers at the time in question. The Taoiseach should support working families and do the right thing.

There are 14 of them.

There are 14 in the entire-----

No, it is not.

That is not acceptable.

A Cheann Comhairle, you gave considerable time to the Taoiseach.

It is not agreed.

The situation is extraordinary. The Opposition has sought to assist Government by waiving critical things like pre-legislative scrutiny. It has been given a fair wind. At times, it has not played that hand very well in our view but the reality is that on Friday, restrictions were imposed right across the city and county of Dublin which have had very serious effects. Dublin is not alone in that. We had Kildare, Laois and Offaly and we will have other places facing similar circumstances. The idea that the Government …

No.

It is not agreed.

In September last year, my colleague, Deputy Pearse Doherty, submitted a report to the Central Bank into the practice of dual pricing by the insurance industry. As the Taoiseach will be aware, dual pricing is the practice used by insurers to rip off their customers with artificially high premiums when they renew their insurance policy. Earlier this month, the Central Bank completed phase 1 of the investigation Deputy Doherty had requested and it confirmed that dual pricing is widespread throughout the industry. Tod…

In the course of this morning's COBRA meeting with the British Prime Minister my colleague, deputy First Minister, Michelle O'Neill, emphasised the ongoing need for an all-island approach to Covid-19. We have consistently raised this matter in respect of profiling the disease and projections but also in terms of testing and tracing. This approach is also important for cross-border communities and businesses that are particularly susceptible to sudden economic shocks. As a result of the Covid-19 crisis but, more par…

I want to raise again the issue of evictions and the urgent necessity for a ban on rent increases. I am sure all of us, as elected representatives, are very well aware of the kinds of pressures people are under in our communities. There is a very particular burden and pressure on those in the rental sector. Thousands of workers are now without employment. The reality for many people in Dublin, for example, is that they lost their shirt overnight. Whereas their household income has fallen, rents continue to rise, al…

I raise the very deep sense of abandonment felt by citizens with disabilities, their families, carers and service providers. The Government has yet to allocate the necessary additional funding for disability day services to enable them to deal with the impact of Covid-19. We are now six months into this pandemic. The disability services submitted their funding requirements to the HSE in mid-June. I understand the HSE collated and verified these submissions in July. The submission set out the additional funding requ…