The resourcing for the unit-----

-----and the nature of the work programme that will emerge. All these matters need to be clarified. I have not conjured up out of thin air the idea for a referendum on Irish unity.

That is an explicit provision of the Good Friday Agreement and that did not happen today or yesterday. It happened in 1998. There are people now at work and voting who have lived their whole lives in a post-Good Friday Agreement Ireland - thank God - and that is a great credit to all concerned. The idea that we are moving with excessive haste, frankly, does not stack up at all. I turn to the issue of the office of the Tánaiste, which will be established within the Taoiseach's office, and of an office for the leader…

No, I adopt a Good Friday Agreement approach.

That is fine. I understand that. What about the question on the Tánaiste?

It is because there are precedents that I am raising the issue. I am well aware of the precedents. There is also a precedent for the number of Ministers of State appointed. We need to know not only the structure and rationale for any of the appointments or expansions but also the cost, because the taxpayer is picking up the bill. It is also important to state that there is one Taoiseach in office. I am correct in understanding that. I suggest to the Taoiseach that it is not great for our system of government if the…

I thank my colleagues, na Teachtaí Pearse Doherty and Mairéad Farrell, for nominating me for the office of An Taoiseach. It is, of course, a huge honour to be elected to that highest of offices and it seems today that the honour will fall to Deputy Micheál Martin. I wish him well in that. February was the month of an election of change, when in unprecedented numbers people voted for fairness, progress and a new direction in Irish politics. Sinn Féin won more votes than any other party and, undeniably, this was a ma…

I extend my good wishes to An Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin. I have no doubt that this is a proud day for him, his people and his community. I also extend good wishes to all those who have now been appointed to ministerial offices because this is a cause for celebration for all of them. In February last, we presented a manifesto for change to the people and we asked them to give us a chance to deliver that change, to lead. The people by way of response gave us a record mandate to enter government. That was not t…

I too wish to extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Detective Garda Colm Horkan and extend sympathies to his colleagues in An Garda Síochána, to his wide and extensive group of friends and families in Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, and of course to the people of Charlestown and County Mayo. An honourable and a brave man has been lost. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis. It is important at the outset to acknowledge it is now four years since the Brexit referendum, and it is a good time to remind ourselves that t…

I begin by remembering every soul lost to this virus, sending sympathies to their families, friends and communities, extending our solidarity to those who are sick at this time and wishing them a full recovery, and acknowledging the heroic efforts of workers on the front line, particularly within our health services. Today, as we are towards the tail end of Carer's Week, I particularly acknowledge the work of carers and home carers - people whose effort, very quietly carried out, has meant that people and families …

A petition has been signed by some 25,000 people, both men and women, who are seeking an extension to the maternity benefit and the leave associated with it. I urge the Taoiseach to consider this and deliver on it very quickly. It is just plain common sense. One should think about what it is like to bring home a newborn in these circumstances, isolated from family and with all the concerns that emerge in that scenario. There is concern over whether very young children, babies, will be able to get childcare places. …

I want to start by extending my heartfelt condolences and sympathies to those who have lost loved ones to Covid-19 in recent days. These are very difficult times for so many who are coping with profound grief. I also want to send good wishes to those who are sick with the virus and I wish them a full and speedy recovery. We are walking a long road and our battle with this virus and the disruption it has brought to our lives continues. All the signs suggest that we are heading in the right direction. The numbers of …

I thought the correspondence last week was very helpful. It has made clear that the two-hour concern is in the event of an infection and who would be considered close contacts and who would have to isolate and be tested, quickly we would hope. It is certainly not an argument for minimising ministerial appearances for the purposes of public scrutiny and should not be used for that purpose. As Deputy Kelly has said, we have here the benefit of great ventilation for all the hot air, from this end and not from the Cean…

I reiterate our sympathy to the bereaved families across this island, record our good wishes to those who are ill for a speedy recovery and our eternal gratitude to our front-line workers, particularly those in our healthcare system but also workers beyond that. I record also the success that has been achieved by everybody in flattening the curve. Everybody was very pleased to see tangible results in the course of the week here, and in the North, and we need to commit to build on that. Congratulations to everybody …

That the scheme for front-line workers was launched on a Thursday and collapsed the following Wednesday has not built confidence among the general public in planning for childcare. I repeat to the Taoiseach that many people across the sector are saying publicly that the level of consultation and engagement is simply not sufficient. There is a call for clear guidance to cover childcare settings, including crèches and early education facilities. We also need guidance on childminders. What will the public health guida…

No, not as of yet, but who is to say? I might be resigned to playing golf if it is so desired by the public. Let us hope not. First, I extend our sympathies to all of those who have been bereaved by this virus. I extend our solidarity and wish for a full recovery to all those who are sick, and our profound thanks once again to workers on the front line. I also thank the Irish people for their forbearance. They have held the line and have been remarkably disciplined thus far. Of course, we are making another request…

I thank the Taoiseach. I do not accept any excuse advanced for not dealing with the clear-cut situation of women returning from maternity leave who are locked out of the wage subsidy scheme. The Taoiseach is right that it is those who were not topped up by their employer, but that makes the situation all the worse because they were solely reliant on their maternity benefit. That is unfair. If other scenarios have arisen, we must deal with them too, but it is of no comfort to women who have been excluded from this s…

Today we again acknowledge those who have been lost to the virus, now almost 2,000 souls across our island. We extend our sympathies and solidarity to their families, friends and communities. The Taoiseach correctly set out that we will gradually unwind the emergency measures we have asked people to live with in recent weeks. I think we all agree that is the sensible, prudent and only way to proceed. It is worth acknowledging that the heroic efforts of those on the front line will need to continue for some time to …

I have correspondence from a childcare provider from the Arachas childcare insurance team, dated 7 May. That was the day on which the Government scheme was announced. The correspondence makes two things absolutely clear: that the insurers were in constant contact with the Government for some six weeks and that they set out very clearly that they would not cover Covid instances. They made that clear, and I am alarmed to hear that the Taoiseach did not know that this problem existed. He should have known, notwithstan…

I will speak for several minutes, after which I would like a response from the Taoiseach before I continue. I start by sending sympathies to all of the bereaved, extending solidarity to all of the sick and wishing them a full recovery, thanking every worker on the front line and acknowledging the efforts of our people as they live with extraordinary public health restrictions on their lives. I listened with great concern yesterday to the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, as he indicated that a cut would be made to the Covi…