I do not know whether the Government is serious about the pandemic. While pub and shop owners, families and everyone else have suffered, people continue to be allowed into the country from abroad. The Taoiseach said earlier that the people are law abiding and that is, of course, true. However, they are also furious at what is happening at the ports and airports. The Taoiseach knows, because he was there, that I have been asking NPHET, Dr. Holohan and others, from the very start, about the ports and airports remaini…

Ar an gcéad dul síos, déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Teachta Chambers. I congratulate Deputy Chambers on being appointed Minister of State. I do not think he has quite made it to Cabinet yet as the previous Deputy alluded to but I know she meant well. I wish him well and look forward to working with him. This legislation is a comprehensive Bill. I do not normally advocate a lot of borrowing. However, I do not think we have any option but to borrow, especially from our European friends, as we like to call them. They …

I too am supporting the motion. I compliment the Deputy and Sinn Féin on putting it forward. I hope this new and what is meant to be all-embracing Government will understand it and try to support it. Covid-19 has resulted in a very difficult time for many families but especially mothers who have experienced the pleasure, beauty and joy of giving birth to a baby. Many such mothers were unable to have the support of their partners or husbands because of the lockdown and the situation regarding entry to hospitals. The…

Schoolchildren have been severely affected by the Covid crisis. They are now on holidays and looking forward to going back to school at the end of August. Teachers and boards of management are doing their best to get that organised. However, there are difficulties with regard to the school bus transport system. Contractors who are with Bus Éireann are getting a 50% payment, which may help or enable that cohort to provide a service in rural Ireland. However, independent providers, those operating outside the auspice…

Ba mhaith liom comhghairdeas a ghabháil leis an Aire. I wish him and his Minister of State well. I thank him and his office for their help on various issues, many of which arose during the Covid crisis. There are still issues arising and his office is working on them at present. There is a sad tragedy requiring a lady to go to a family funeral abroad. On Votes 27 and 28, I see there has been an increase in funding for overseas development aid for the sixth consecutive year. I have concerns over the increase in fund…

Go raibh maith agat. I wish the Minister well in her new role.

As there is no one here from the Regional Group of Independents, we move to the Rural Independent Group.

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire and so say all of us on the issue of an Garda Síochána. I move on to an Páirtí Fianna Fáil, and the Deputies Crowe, Devlin and Browne. I call Deputy Crowe now to speak.

On behalf of all of us present, I congratulate both the Minister and the Minister of State.

Is that agreed? Agreed. Before proceeding to that business, the House must agree the arrangements for next week's proceedings of the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response. Those arrangements were notified in the report of the Business Committee, which was circulated this evening. Can we take those arrangements as read and, if so, are they agreed? Agreed.

The position on mental health services in Tipperary is very serious. It was serious all along prior to Covid. I wish the new Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, the very best. Hers is a very good appointment. I look forward to engaging with and working with her. She has agreed to a request from Deputy Cahill and me to visit Clonmel. There is not one single long-stay mental health bed in Tipperary. A Vision for Change was a disaster. We lost our wonderful St. Michael's unit, which many used for decades. It was cl…

I thank the Taoiseach for his response. Has he the will to find a way? A Vision for Change has been a failure. A mental health crisis nurse was appointed on a 24-7 basis but did not get the go-ahead because of the embargo on mental health places. This embargo is not fair when people are losing their lives. It is just shocking. St. Michael's hospital has been transformed to deal with Covid. What is happening with mental health services cannot be allowed. The people of the county will not allow the hospital to be clo…

The programme for Government specifically mentions older people, and the Government has a Minister of State with responsibility for older people. I note he will have an examination of the issue of increasing the pension age. Our older citizens have made this country what it is and they have been severely punished with the lockdown. Even worse, they have been excluded from any source of payment. They were not looking for much. All they looked for many times was perhaps the difference between their pension and the €3…

The over-60s-----

My speaking time will be shared with three colleagues. I also support the motion. There was discussion last night with the new Minister in whom I have great faith. I hope he is listening because the banks in Ireland are not functioning across the board. This is crucial for anyone seeking a loan or some reprieve during these times of Covid. The banks are so arrogant that they are trying to get away with overcharging, refusing loans and withdrawing approval for families to build houses. How, during this Covid crisis,…

I attended the Business Committee meeting yesterday and there was no request from Deputy Cowen or any other group for time in this regard. This is just showboating and shenanigans. The correct procedure is being used for the Minister's statement and we will all wait to hear it.

Many people have been affected by the Covid lockdown. We referred to some of them today. There is a cohort of young men and women with intellectual disabilities. There are a couple in my parish. One story about little Jack was shared on Facebook on Sunday. It is heart-rending. I welcome the July provision but this cohort of people does not have anything, even trips to their special schools on the bus with their carers. I salute everybody involved on boards of management, workers and teaching staff. Can the Governme…

Some of these Revised Estimates are quite staggering, particularly in these times of hardship. I see the cost of running the Department of Taoiseach has gone from €34,337,000 to €54 million. The Vote for the Central Statistics Office has reached €65.6 million, up from €54 million. This is a runaway train. The Department of the Taoiseach has been allocated a massive increase of 57%. I know the Taoiseach has just entered office and I wish him well. Some €20 million has been allocated to public communications concerni…

I called what is happening a scamdemic and it has proven to be such.

I wish the Tánaiste well in his new role. I hope he gets down and dirty and understands business. As Deputy Collins has said, it is not all about the capital city, spin, Facebook and all the other platforms that the Tánaiste likes. Earlier I criticised the €20 million increase in spending for the Department of the Taoiseach, much of which is going on spin doctors to tell us what we already know. We are not fools in the country and we understand plain English. We did not need the former Taoiseach and his quotes from…