The Government is playing a game.

We could debate it tomorrow.

It is not agreed.

I thank the Taoiseach for agreeing to brief the party leaders on a delicate and sensitive issue regarding the Judiciary. We will commit to do our best to resolve it amicably and on a uniform basis across the House if we can. I accept the words of the Ceann Comhairle earlier that we have to be mindful of what we say. I support Deputy Catherine Murphy's claim. It is ridiculous and patently unfair that groups will end up with five minutes speaking time on an important motion such as the one that is coming up. It is no…

I wish to ask about driving tests. There are 92,576 people waiting for driver tests. The current waiting period is 25 to 30 weeks. Prior to Covid, it was 19 weeks. This is not fair on people, be they young or older. I understand from the Minister that 16 retired testers are being rehired. While that is welcome, we need radical and seismic action. I believe it was the former Minister, Mr. Sylvester Barrett, who gave out licences in 1979 because of the delays. People cannot go to work, recreational activities or coll…

I am to happy stand here this evening but I and the people at home are aghast. In south Tipperary, 976 children are waiting for emergency speech and language treatment. In north Tipperary and east Limerick, the number is 1,079. All the people on the Covid payments will be asked to pay tax on the payments. The hospitals and health services are so bad. We have so many concerns about the failure of the HSE to deal with the pandemic, testing and contact tracing. When the Tánaiste was Minister for Health he chose the si…

I have written to the Taoiseach and Deputy Michael Collins and I raised the issue of people not being allowed to attend mass. There is a limit of 25 for a wedding or a funeral and nobody can go to the church for mass. There is a penal provision in the new Act to prosecute priests. This is the month of November, traditionally a time of the year in the Catholic faith where people pray for their dead and have masses. All other denominations are denied their right to worship as well. Will the Tánaiste please look at th…

I am very sorry, Chairperson, if you cannot get the name right. We are the Rural Independent Group and we sponsored this motion.

Several Deputies today called us the Independent Group, which is Deputy Connolly's group. Others called us the Regional Group. It is just blackguarding. We understand flooding. I am not saying other Members from rural areas do not. Surely, however, they can get our name right. We have not much hope of getting the flooding sorted out if they cannot get our name right. Who are we? We are the Rural Independent Group and we are proud of it.

You said Regional Independent Group.

You said Regional Independent Group. I am not deaf. Or am I? There are other Members here too. It is not just you, Acting Chairman. Other Members have referred to us as everything. We were bad enough to be tied in with a cabal that Shane Ross had before the last election. We were mixed up with them. We have a clear identity. We are rural people and proud of it. We are representing rural Ireland and urban Ireland, and we are proud of it. I wish the Minister of State very well in his Ministry and I thank him for resp…

Fianna Fáil fully supported the previous Government.

Fianna Fáil fully supported the previous Government. The Taoiseach should accept its mistakes too.

Leaky Leo.

Deal with the leaks.

Approximately a month ago, I raised the issue of a Tipperary town task force with the Taoiseach. The people of Tipperary town and western Tipperary are very vibrant and fair-minded people. They want engagement. Groups such as Jobs4Tipp, March4Tipp and a new committee of the chamber of commerce want to engage but they do not want the streets dug up again until such time as an inner relief road is in place to alleviate the traffic congestion in the town. I ask the Taoiseach to engage with these groups and with the pe…

Will the Taoiseach engage with them?

I am delighted to get the opportunity to speak on this motion on the extension of the sunset clause and enforcement powers. I believe the proposed extension is far too long. It will go for seven months right up to next June. At the very outset we all supported all the emergency powers. The Taoiseach was wrong to suggest that Deputy Michael Healy-Rae did not support any of the measures. Everyone in the House did and we did our best. There has been no pre-legislative scrutiny at any time. I am aware there was a brief…

On a point of clarification, the Minister said that the Garda Commissioner gave her a letter. Will that letter or at least a segment of it be provided to us so that we know it is not just hearsay? The Minister said twice that she is not putting words in his mouth. I also asked the Minister a question about the Garda Commissioner and the game licence being stopped.

On behalf of the Rural Independent Group, I thank the Taoiseach and President Higgins for acknowledging the failure. It is truly shocking to listen to Vicky Phelan, who spoke on the radio yesterday, Emma Mhic Mhathúna, Stephen Teap and others, but have we learned anything? I do not believe we have. Since the first lockdown in March, all procedures have been backed up, with people not attending, not being called or unable to get in. Damage is being done with all kinds of cancer, including cervical, breast and prosta…