-----he should expect to be rebuffed.

Our health services are an embarrassment and within that our mental health services are a humiliation. I say that not as a criticism of those on the front line but to recognise that systemic failures have happened too often and are too prevalent. In this Chamber and in this debate, we hear all of the correct things being said by Government representatives. It has ever been so. On delivery, the proof is in the experiences of children and adults. For many, the experiences are positive once they enter the system, but …

I welcome the fact that the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine is here. It is good to see a senior Minister taking a Topical Issue matter. I hope his presence is a recognition of the importance of the pig sector and the crisis it faces. The pig sector in Ireland is a vital component of our rural economy, albeit one that is often under-recognised. Almost 10,000 jobs are directly and indirectly supported by the sector. There are 1,675 pig farms across the State, 1,108 of which have five pigs or fewer. The …

I saw reported in one media outlet that in 1986, what pig farmers were receiving equated to €1.40 per kilo. Today, 36 years later, they get €1.42, which puts in very stark terms the broader challenge faced by this sector, like many of our other agricultural sectors. I welcome the initiatives the Minister has taken to date, but we now require clear resolve in terms of how we can allow our farmers to get over this crisis and flourish into the future. The Minister did not mention the issues pertaining to the workforce…

I have to say I am concerned about the general attitude being taken by Government, with the fact the national broadband plan has missed every single target set for it up to this point. That is not acceptable. This contract is costing Irish taxpayers €3 billion. There should be no scope for failure, especially when one considers the price of failure for so many families, workers and communities waiting in anticipation of being connected to this network. I appeal to the Minister of State to ensure we do not accept wh…

That is a matter we have to explore further. I will return briefly to the fees that were paid to the investors. According to the public reports that have been referenced, of the €38 million in fees to investors, some €32.7 million was paid to a company, NBI Bidco LLC, which we are told is controlled by David McCourt and was set up about one week before the contract was signed. How could a company that was set up seven days prior be entitled to that sort of money?

I would welcome that. With regard to NBI now, is the Minister of State satisfied he knows who controls the shareholdings, has the voting rights, holds the necessary investment and who is entitled to the necessary percentage of the dividends? That, in particular, is the important question. Is the Minister of State satisfied that the Department is aware of the individuals and entities that control every percentage point of what is a substantial piece of infrastructure running across the country?

I have a final quick question in relation to the fact that, from next week, NBI can be applied with penalties in respect of failing to reach targets. The difficulty is that up until this point the Department has essentially accepted the new so-called "milestones". How robust will the Department be in ensuring that there is a penalty applied for the failure to deliver on the substantial contract?

I commend the committee chaired by Deputy Naughten, the previous committee of the 32nd Dáil which carried out quite an amount of research and the current committee for producing a very substantive 72-page report. I commend my party colleagues, Deputies Kerrane and Paul Donnelly, who are members of the current committee and contributed to this work. I commend all members of the committee, including, in particular, Deputy Joan Collins, who acted as rapporteur. I commend the 12 recommendations of the report. Bogus sel…

Again, there is no answer to the question from the Taoiseach.

He was asked about rents.

It does not show the House in a good light when the Taoiseach does not answer the questions put to him.

The Government was not worrying about a wage spiral when it appointing a Secretary General in the Department of Health.

I thank the Minister and Minister of State for staying for the entirety of the debate. I commend Deputy Ó Laoghaire on bringing the motion to the House and on being a voice for leaving certificate students in the House and beyond over the past number of weeks. One of the key qualities attributed to the leaving certificate by its advocates is the fact that it is a great leveller and there is equity at its heart. Of course, that is not entirely true. Money plays too much of a role in determining how well some people …

I want to add my voice to the hundreds of thousands of messages of condolences to the loved ones of Ashling Murphy on her tragic death. The outpouring of grief that has followed Ashling's murder has been phenomenal. The spontaneous organisation of vigils across our cities, towns and villages, as well as the huge numbers of men, children but especially women who turned up in sympathy, solidarity and anger was simply amazing. All of us in society, but particularly men, have responsibility to do our part in ending the…

I welcome any proposals aimed at increasing native tree-planting and encouraging smaller levels of afforestation among those who may not be willing or able, in the current climate, to take a leap towards greater levels of planting. Even so, the manner in which this proposal has been brought forward so late in the day, as an amendment to legislation that will ban fur-farming, is a matter of great concern. It is symptomatic of the manner in which forestry policy is dealt with in this State. It is not good legislative…

I have not had an opportunity to formally welcome the Minister back. I congratulate her on her recent arrival. GSOC should be the route whereby families or victims who feel they have been ill served by Garda actions can find truth and justice. One family that sought this were the parents and siblings of Shane O'Farrell. This House will recall that Shane was a 23-year-old Carrickmacross man killed in a hit-and-run on 2 August 2011 by a known criminal who had breached several bail conditions at the time and who had 4…

When does the Minister intend to bring forward the long-promised legislation to create an enforcement authority, a food ombudsman or a meat regulator, as I would prefer, as per the unfair trading practices directive? Does he have a sense of the powers he intends to confer on that authority?

The unfair trading practices legislation and the issue we referred to has been listed in the legislative agenda of the autumn, the spring, the summer and the autumn again, but it does not seem to have been prioritised to the same extent as other legislation that was announced much later but delivered much sooner. In May, in response to a question, the Minister told us the legislation would be before us by the end of this year. He is now saying he plans to bring a heads of Bill to the Government in the early part of…

It would be useful if the Minister could elaborate on the work that enforcement authority is doing. In May, the unit had three full-time equivalent posts, filled by four staff. Progress was being made on appointing a head of unit but by September and through October, it had only two full-time equivalent staff, again with the promise of a head of unit. It has not received, as far as I am aware, or initiated a single case and not €1 has been spent, other than on the staff costs. The €4 million budget allocation is, o…