I should have mentioned those working in the taxi industry who bring people to these venues. They are also being hammered. I have had four phone calls from people in the industry today. They went off the PUP and now they cannot get back on it.

They are left with the unemployment payment. I thank the Minister for his endeavours. I know the money is being spent, and I am not denying that, but it is not trickling down to the people. The Minister knows it and the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media knows it. I am appealing again for the Government to look after the musicians. They never put their hand out and they are proud people. They are in a perilous situation. They were knocked off and the industry, venues and gigs were close…

I often danced in counties Cavan and Monaghan to Big Tom nuair a bhí sé beo, an fear uasal. Bhí an-spórt againn at the carnivals as well. People need that. The musicians need to be able to survive Christmas to feed their families. I am pleading with the Minister to go back and look at the issue. There is a blockage and the money is not trickling down. The taxi drivers are also in a perilous situation.

The issue of the Tipperary town bypass has been raised. Some of us have received very good responses from the Minister, Deputy Ryan. He visited and met Jobs for Tipp, March for Tipp and the chamber of commerce, who are actively seeking a bypass of the town. The Minister tells us the mood music is good and the Ceann Comhairle commented on it, but we need the money - the airgead. Cad a dheánfaimid feasta gan airgead? We have to have the money. The Minister is in a position to give an indication. It is not clearly sta…

I thank Deputy Michael Healy-Rae, for whom I am standing in today. He has asked me to raise this issue. Contractors are finding it increasingly difficult to stand over tendered prices for periods of up to two years, which many projects run to, because of the rising cost of materials. In the past year, construction material prices have increased every month, by 26.7% on last year, which is a shocking amount. That is according to the Central Statistics Office's most recent wholesale price index; they are not my words…

The Taoiseach paints a picture of a perfect storm. We saw this coming over the past 12 months and the Government and its advisers must have seen it too, because it is crippling. There is a huge delay with people working from home in getting the tenders out, getting documents back to schools and builders and all of that. Contractors are tendering in good faith and we need them now to engage the new apprentices we are taking on in Thurles and elsewhere, who are badly needed in the construction industry. If the builde…

What is the new fixed-price term?

On behalf of the Rural Independent Group, I ask for a debate on the lack of a roll-out of the national broadband plan, NBP. People are trying to operate from home and are unable to do so. The waiting times are too long and the responses we get are just futile. I ask that we sit on Friday to have a debate on it. I also include the crazy proposal to bring water from the River Shannon up to Dublin. We are losing 35% of the water here. This will be another runaway train project like the national children's hospital and…

Broadband and rural Ireland.

I mentioned the madness of bringing the pipeline from Shannon to Dublin. There is a 45% leakage in Dublin.

There is a 45% leakage.

It is a bonkers plan.

Cad a tharla don Nollaig?

The Taoiseach visited South Tipperary General Hospital recently and met with management there. They implored him to provide funding of circa €7 million to finish the refurbishment of the old St. Michael's unit, which was a wonderful institution, to create 33 extra beds. The hospital is at double the capacity it was at 15 years ago, and many patients come to it from west Waterford. The building is three quarters finished. The Taoiseach was quoted in the media as saying he could not understand why this has not been d…

They can repeat on you.

Am I?

Cad a dhéanfaimid feasta gan airgead?

We need the money.

Low-hanging fruit, the Taoiseach said.

Last Friday evening, Members debated yet another extension of the draconian powers that have been handed to the Minister for Health for more than 20 months now. While Members were in the Chamber, the Taoiseach took to the airwaves to talk to the public and went over the heads of some members of the public to talk to the children. He told us that we were implementing new more draconian measures than we previously signed into law, which will be debated further in this Chamber this evening. For more than 20 months now…