You did.

You said I should not use that word starting with H. I will not even use it.

I never used it-----

-----so stop the lies, please.

You got your answer last week.

What is this?

We cannot even see the legislation that will be voted through the House this evening.

Where is the legislation?

Where is the legislation?

Withdraw that.

There is a guillotine.

You are deluded.

I would like to express my sympathy and that of the people of Tipperary and west Waterford to the McCarthy family on the sad passing of Dr. Seán McCarthy, iar-Theachta Dála agus iar-Aire Stáit and a noble doctor who served the public of Tipperary and west Waterford well and beyond. I have to return to a medical issue concerning St. Brigid's hospital, Carrick-on-Suir. The Taoiseach has promised me umpteen times in here that he would meet Councillor Kieran Bourke, other councillors in Tipperary County Council and the…

Of course they have. Several times.

I ask the Minister for Health if he will initiate an immediate public inquiry into the handling by the Government and NPHET of Covid-19, including an immediate investigation into nursing home deaths. Will he commit to an independent external audit of NPHET's advice and modelling by auditors not otherwise engaged with the State? Will he explain and justify Ireland's position as an outlier in Europe regarding the level of restrictions on hospitality and in the use of antigen testing?

I commend and thank the front-line staff, the nursing staff and their attendants. The independent investigation I seek should include a cost-benefit analysis of the Government-imposed lockdowns to date. For instance, the overall costs of the lockdowns must include delayed diagnoses and missed diagnoses, the effects on mental health and other health-related services, together with the economic and community impact versus the benefits derived from the longest-ever lockdown in Ireland. Ireland has had the longest lock…

I put it to the Minister that of the approximately 5,000 Covid deaths in Ireland, 40% of them occurred in nursing homes. Internationally, the Republic of Ireland has the second worst rate of nursing home deaths in the world after Canada. As society returns to normal, this issue must be addressed to bring release for the many families who have lost loved ones in the most tragic and traumatic of circumstances over the past 15 months. They must get answers. I am aware that a number of court case challenges are coming …

Who will do it?

The coronavirus-related deaths of more than 2,000 people in Irish nursing homes reflects an abject failure of policy and oversight by successive health Ministers and the agencies they oversee. Prior to the pandemic and illuminated again at the very beginning of the pandemic, fatal flaws were exposed in our health and social care services. Many nursing homes were unprepared for any infectious disease outbreak and the consequences were devastating for the families that have lost more than 2,000 relatives in these ins…

I want to thank the Minister in the first instance for his engagement with people from Tipperary County Council, Jobs4Tipp, March4Tipp and Tipperary Town Chamber of Commerce. Will he ensure, as part of the review of the national development plan, that the first priority is a bypass for Tipperary town? I know he is clear on that and he is leaning towards bypasses. If it is part of the N24 project, all the better, but the bypass of the town must be done. It is being choked, especially since Brexit, with the huge incr…