Yes. I welcome and congratulate the two new Ministers. I wish them success, though unfortunately I do not think they will be successful unless they change their tack. Housing remains a critical issue in my own constituency of Limerick City. It was the number one issue on the doorsteps during the recent general election. The lack of affordable housing for either rent or purchase is creating massive problems in our society. We now have incredible situations where generations of families are living in the same crowded…

The Minister will not be surprised that I raise the matter of University Hospital Limerick, as 2019 was a really difficult year in the hospital. There were 13,941 people on trolleys in 2019, which was an increase of 22% on the terrible year of 2018, when 11,000 were on trolleys there. In a recent interview in the Limerick Post , the chief executive officer of University Hospital Limerick was quoted as saying that the group was short of 150 beds. A 96-bed block is being designed but is awaiting funding before procee…

I will make two quick comments and ask questions at the end. I have just under four minutes. My colleague, Deputy O'Reilly, referenced the issue of drugs in the context of Covid. It is one of the issues I wish to raise with the Minister now. Since the lockdown started, people have become acutely aware of drug dealing in their localities. It has been much more visible because they have been at home watching it happen. We do not fund this sector enough. The funding that has gone into drug and alcohol forums has not r…

I am going to make a short contribution and my colleague, Deputy Wynne, will then come in with a contribution. I have also some questions, and the Minister might answer them after Deputy Wynne speaks, if that is okay with the Minister. I welcome the task force the Minister announced. It is a good move forward. As my colleague, Deputy O'Rourke, said, we must ensure that the unions are involved. We are all supposed to be in this together, and if the unions are not involved, we are on a hiding to nothing. I do not hav…

Has the Minister met the CEO of Shannon Group?

I wish to raise with the Minister for Health the issue of contract cleaners across the State but especially in hospitals. Many of these cleaners work as front-line workers in hospitals and care facilities in the battle against Covid-19 and they were expecting a 40 cent pay rise at the beginning of March, which would have brought their hourly rate of pay to just €11.20 per hour. According to SIPTU, which represents these workers, contract cleaning companies have reneged on this pay rise, which had previously been ag…

I want to raise two specific issues with the Minister but obviously time is running out and Deputy Cullinane wants to share time with me. My first question is about the role of the Health and Safety Authority, HSA, in policing workforces for compliance with public health guidelines in regard to Covid-19. As she knows, everyone is deeply concerned that the HSA will not be sufficiently resourced to handle the massive task it will be asked to do. I welcome the comments made earlier this afternoon by An Taoiseach when …

We live in strange times. I was re-elected in February, and this is the first opportunity I have had to speak in the new Dáil. I thank those who trusted me with their vote in the election in Limerick city and the parts of Tipperary I represent. I thank them very much and I will do my best to represent them as best I can. As I said, we live in strange and difficult times. I thank all the people at home who have observed the advice we have given them, and done their best to flatten the curve and make sure people are …

The Minister can reply to me with a written response, but another Deputy-----