I will put my questions in the first two minutes and ask the Minister to reply in two minutes and then use the last minute for a follow-up comment. There is widespread loss of confidence in the Minister's ability to address the challenges that will face education in the coming weeks and months. Like many Deputies, I have been speaking to leaving certificate students, other students, families of children with special needs, school management, teachers and other workers in education, including SNAs. The overwhelming …

The Minister is essentially saying that all the people who have been contacting Deputies across the House are liars. On Thursday last, her suggestion was that the schools would operate this week for leaving certificate students and children with special educational needs. That did not happen precisely because the engagement had not taken place beforehand with all those leaving certificate students who have been contacting us this week to say they have had no engagement from the Minister or her Department, all the t…

I thank Deputy McDonald for raising the case of Shane O'Farrell and I reinforce her message to the Taoiseach. On several occasions, the Taoiseach met Shane's parents, Lucia and Jim, who are among the most inspirational people one could meet. They are now facing their tenth Christmas without their beloved son, Shane. As Deputy McDonald said, they have been seeking justice for Shane and for the wrongs perpetrated on their family to be addressed. The previous Government announced a scoping inquiry, which has been subj…

It appears from the Taoiseach's response that the shared island unit will discuss everything relating to cross-Border issues apart from the potential to undo the Border itself. Does the Taoiseach accept that the Good Friday Agreement sets out the peaceful democratic route to reunify our country? It clearly sets out a mechanism. Those of us who want to see Irish unity need to convince others that it is in their best interests, that we will all be collectively better off in a united Ireland and that we will be able t…

I am talking about the future.

It is not.

The Taoiseach is still talking about the past.

The Taoiseach needs to wise up.

Does the Taoiseach want to talk about a single act that took place, or the future?

The Taoiseach has spent two minutes talking about the past. I am asking him to talk about the future.

That is pathetic.

I asked the Taoiseach about the future.

No, I am sharing time with Deputy Ó Broin.

Tá sé anseo i gcomhair Topical Issues.

Homelessness is something that happens. People find themselves in homelessness. However, when there is mass homelessness, as evident in the figures that were cited in the House tonight, there is a systemic problem. There is a variety of reasons for homelessness, and people recognise that, but some things done by the Government make it more likely that homelessness will occur and that homelessness figures will increase. Homelessness will increase when there is no proper mental health strategy in place, no proper inv…

I thank and commend Deputy Mattie McGrath on bringing this important issue to the House via legislation. It is Sinn Féin's intention to support the passage of this Bill on this Stage to ensure we have an opportunity to debate and thrash out all the issues that have been outlined. I am disappointed that the Minister has taken a different approach. This is a real issue. A Deputy would not go to the effort of drafting and bringing a Bill before this House unless this issue was being raised in offices by concerned indi…

In many respects, the Bill before the House is a vindication for those people who went to the bother of casting their votes in February. Many people were despondent at the refusal of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to recognise the huge mandate for change. One of the dominant issues of that election campaign, as we know now, was the stated, much vaunted and defended intention of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to increase the State pension age to 68. People rightly were angered by such a notion and they spoke with their feet a…

We have been talking about the countdown to Brexit and we are now potentially within hours of knowing whether we dealing with a deal or a no-deal scenario. As the Minister knows, nobody is set to lose more than Irish farmers and the agri-food sector in the broadest terms. I would like the Minister to take this opportunity to convey to the House the contingency measures that his Department has been working on to protect that sector that is obviously of the utmost importance to our regions.

I thank the Minister for that reply. There are many varying and competing concerns for the agriculture sector in the event of a no-deal Brexit or a less than perfect Brexit deal. The biggest of those will be access to the British market. I will ask the Minister about the exploration of other markets and, particularly, the importance of the land bridge and what will be put in place. There is a huge difficulty with regard to direct shipping and air transport to the rest of the EU. Air freight has increased dramatical…

Regarding exports, one way or another we need to find new markets and exploit the markets that are there. At a meeting of Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine an hour or so ago we learned that Ireland is the only significant exporter at EU level that does not provide export credit insurance. Is the Minister working with his counterparts in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to ensure that minimum step is taken? I would also like to hear of the Minister's work with Revenue to ensure customs …