I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is abreast of the situation. There are established dispute resolution mechanisms and the parties concerned should seek to avail of them. The issues fall to be addressed in the first instance by the board and executive of the IAA. The Government wants to see this dispute and any outstanding grievance resolved. The Minister will support the process in any way he can to bring that about.

I acknowledge that car parking charges in hospitals can be a burden on people, sometimes at what is a vulnerable time for them. Practices vary around the country. Some hospitals are, I believe, accommodating and have systems in place for frequent visitors, family members and so on, but that is not uniform. The Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, is taking an interest in this issue and will revert to the Deputy directly on it.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is one in which he takes a keen interest. One of the lessons for us all from Covid is the imperative of having good connectivity all over the country. The Government wants to see the national broadband plan implemented as quickly as possible and there has been ongoing engagement between the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, and National Broadband Ireland in that regard. If there are opportunities to accelerate implementation, they will be taken. I will take up with the Mi…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I acknowledge the outstanding work that he has done in this area over a number of years. The Government will be represented by the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, at COP26. He is finalising the climate action plan, which is anticipated to be brought to the Government in October and published at that point. I will discuss with the Minister the points the Deputy made about developing countries, the challenges they face and what role Ireland can play as a country that is facing …

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which is important to many families. Of the 91 progressing disability services teams, 83 are fully reconfigured and I am advised that the remaining teams will be reconfigured by the end of November. As such, work is at an advanced stage. I wish to point out the considerable work the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has done and continues to do. She has made dramatic progress on waiting lists for assessments of need. Now, similar progress needs to be made on waiting list…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I confirm that there are no plans whatsoever to downgrade University Hospital Kerry. There are significant challenges there that the Deputy has rightly highlighted. The Ministers, Deputies Stephen Donnelly and Foley, are aware of them and have been working together and engaging with the HSE on resolving the problems. I am sure the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, would be happy to engage directly with Deputy Daly and other representatives on the matter.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. It is on the back of the significant progress we have made with Covid and the reduced infection levels that the CMO has provided updated advice to my colleague, the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly. The Minister is now engaging with the Minister for Education, Deputy Foley, who, in turn, is consulting the education partners in regard to this issue. The Government will make its decision and announcement in regard to any changes in due course.

I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after “Dáil Éireann” and substitute the following: “recognises the importance of a well-functioning Freedom of Information (FOI) regime in establishing trust and transparency in public life; and notes that: — the objective of Freedom of Information legislation is to ensure openness and transparency around the conduct of the business of public bodies and to enable members of the public to obtain access to their personal information; — in broad terms, indications are that I…

I move the following Revised Estimates: Vote 32 - Enterprise, Trade and Employment (Further Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €1,088,159,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2021, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, including certain services administered by that Office, for the payment of certain subsidies and grants and for the payment of certain grants und…

I move: That, notwithstanding Standing Order 215 of the Standing Orders of Dáil Éireann relative to Public Business or the Resolution of the Dáil of 16th December, 2020, the following Further Revised Estimate for Public Services for the year ending 31st December, 2021, be presented to the Dáil and circulated to members on 30th June, 2021, being a date later than that prescribed for the presentation of Estimates and be referred to the relevant Select or Standing Committee, as the case may be, pursuant to Standing Or…

I move the following Revised Estimate: Vote 42 - Department of Rural and Community Development (Further Revised Estimate) That a sum not exceeding €308,000,000 be granted to defray the charge which will come in course of payment during the year ending on the 31st day of December, 2021, for the salaries and expenses of the Office of the Minister for Rural and Community Development including certain services administered by that Office and for the payment of grants and that a sum not exceeding €13,180,000 be granted …

I thank the Deputy for the question. The total level of capital expenditure, along with the sectoral allocations for areas such as housing, is currently under consideration as part of the ongoing review of the national development plan. That process has yet to be completed and I do not want to pre-empt any decisions that will be made in the coming weeks on foot of that review being finalised. The overall level of capital expenditure in 2021 stands at €10.1 billion, or almost €11 billion when capital carry-over from…

I thank the Deputy. The funding we are providing in the current year is sufficient to deliver the direct build of 9,500 new social homes in our country. When we compare that to the last year for which we have full figures in the pre-Covid context, 2019, that figure was less than 6,000 units actually built. This year, the funding is provided for local authorities and approved housing bodies to build 9,500 units, so that is a dramatic increase in funding and in output, by any measure. Clearly, there will be an impact…

The Government's commitment is backed up by its actions. We are investing a record amount in public house-building. That is appropriate. When this country was much poorer, our local authorities and councils had a strong track record of building public housing and we need to get back to doing that again. In 2019, fewer than 6,000 public houses were built. This year, funding has been provided for 9,500 houses. The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will finalise ambitious targets for the new Housing …

I thank the Deputy for raising this question. A key focus of the review of the national development plan, NDP, is on the capability and capacity of the public service to deliver the ambitious targets for investment that are set out in the plan. Building on recent reforms such as the update of the public spending code, this Government has initiated a suite of reforms to strengthen the assurance arrangements and public sector capability to deliver the NDP. The phase 1 report of the NDP review published by my Departme…

I agree that the focus needs to be on delivery. To be fair to the public sector, the independent report funded by the European Commission found many examples of excellence. It found many examples of the wider public sector having the capacity to deliver major capital projects. That includes Transport Infrastructure Ireland, which has a good track record of delivering road projects and public transport projects. The NTA, Irish Water, the OPW, the HSE and larger local authorities also have good records. It also ident…

There will be an impact from the shutdown of the construction sector for the first four months of the year. That has impacted on the delivery of projects and spending so some timelines will be impacted. In the last crisis, capital investment was cut by about 60% from peak to trough. We are maintaining and building on an elevated level of capital expenditure. We believe that it will be at the heart of the recovery of the Irish economy. I am working closely with all of my colleagues across Government on the roll-out …

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which I know is of particular interest to him. I acknowledge the work that he and others have done in assisting patients in his constituency to avail of the services of the cross-border directive. While the policy matter is one for the Minister for Health, I am happy to answer the question as best I can. Since the start of this year, the provisions of the EU cross-border directive no longer apply to the UK. On 28 December 2020, the Government approved the implementation of…

The Minister for Health is developing the general scheme of legislation to provide for the continuation of a scheme that is tantamount or equivalent to the cross-border directive in order that the services can continue to be availed of. I want to finish the point on the cataracts and I acknowledge that it is not the only issue. In addition to the enhanced facilities at the South Infirmary, a new medical ophthalmology service funded by the South/South West Hospital Group is due to commence in August and will be base…

I assure the Deputy that funding is not the constraint. The cost of the scheme in 2020 was €15.4 million. In the context of a healthcare budget of €22 billion, funding is not the issue. The scheme is demand led and the costs depend on how many people avail of the services under the cross-border directive or the Northern Ireland planned healthcare scheme. It is important to reassure people that that scheme continues to be in place. I acknowledge that in its current format it is temporary, but it is the intention of …