There are backlogs everywhere.

I have not been interrupting.

In terms of lay-offs, our thoughts have to be with the workers in the company or those who may be laid off - from our perspective, in Ireland - and we have to do everything we possibly can to make sure they can secure alternative employment. We have a strong industrial relations framework and strong employee protection rights in Ireland, along with legislation. We will do everything to make sure we maintain those rights, maintain the legislative framework we have, protect employees and help employees in situations …

I have noticed, since the Government was formed, there has been a deliberate attempt at trying to present the Government as somehow rowing back on climate change and this is going to be the narrative now, whether it is true or not. The Deputy is articulating that idea, even though the Government and the programme for Government commits very strongly to the legal framework governing climate and to the measures we have already embarked upon and that were decided upon by the previous Government.

I am. The Deputy-----

-----prefaced his remarks-----

Thank you. There has been no resiling by Government from the climate change objectives of this country and the climate plan will be published - my understanding is that it will be in the next number of weeks. We did not deliberately not publish it. The outgoing Government and the Green Party did try to railroad a whole load of things through before the interregnum period; that would not have been proper. The climate action plan-----

-----is something for the entire Oireachtas to give due consideration to and have a genuine debate about it, not something that is rammed through at the death of a Government.

We have not. There has been good, constructive engagement with the Scottish Government, to be fair, over the last number of years on this issue. Actually, it was the last British Government that did not facilitate an agreement on research and so forth that had been arrived at between the Scottish Government and the Irish Government. We have reactivated that with the new British Government and with the new Scottish First Minister and there is ongoing engagement with officials on both sides with a view to arriving at…

That is a very good idea from the Deputy and there are issues, as he has described, in Glanmire this week. Across the country, we have had appalling conditions of animal cruelty, particularly in respect of horses and that needs to stop and the agencies need to get stronger and be more effective. The idea of appointing an equine officer in every local authority makes absolute sense to me. It is something I will pursue with the Minister and with the local authorities.

That is a very good idea also. The methodology for the appointment of State boards changed some years ago; there is a greater reliance on the PAS system and I am not sure that has been ideal either. We need to look more broadly at experiences and expertise that would add a certain competence or discipline to a board, such as cost control or accountancy. There was an article written this morning, which I read and it was quite correct, that said we in the political sphere have an instinct for more spending on everyth…

You have it right throughout every debate. There is not enough examination of how the existing resources are properly spent or allocated. I agree with the Deputy's broader point.

I agree with the Deputy and that is why the last Government in the last number of months proposed structures to reform the Road Safety Authority, in terms of dividing work particularly in terms of the operational issues like driver testing, so there will be a more focused approach on that which is separate to the broader work the RSA is engaged in with respect to road safety. A new CEO for the RSA has been approved by the Government and the structures simply have to change - that has already been decided and it is …

My understanding is that the review of the zone radius was done, but I will talk to the Minister and ask him if he will engage with the NTA in respect of the issue the Deputy raised.

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. In an earlier time, I was, as an educator, involved with hard-of-hearing children. There has been a movement towards integration, and that is perhaps why the two special classes are available at primary level in Kerry. I will talk to the Minister for Education with a view to discovering why special arrangements cannot be progressed at second level in order to facilitate those children as they progress from primary to secondary school. Historically, people had to travel lo…

There is a lot of hedge cutting going and clearing being done by local authorities and contractors at the moment. That is evident across the country. On the other side of the coin and as the Deputy knows, issues around biodiversity, etc., have given rise to this. Those issues are significant. I will talk to the Minister in terms of his assessment of the matter.

My understanding is that this Bill is a priority for drafting.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. What is frustrating here is that the money has been allocated it seems to me. The officials on both sides, those in the local authorities and Uisce Éireann, should apply common sense and pragmatism and get this sorted. I ask that this would happen and I will ask the Minister. I met with Uisce Éireann some time back. The Government has increased its allocation and will be increasing it further in terms of additional capital money. This has to be ring-fenced, not just for the…

There are enormous investments in greenways, walkways and cycleways across the country. Biodiversity and wildlife must be protected as well but the two are mutually exclusive. The specifications on some of the greenways are sometimes a bit higher than people would have anticipated. These issues should be resolved, and they can be resolved with a bit of imagination and creativity and not having to be exact all the time in terms of some of the standards. Some of the ones in Cork are excellent, but there is one park w…

People allocated a medical card are allocated a GP. That is the basic position. Now, there is an issue with access to GPs more generally. That is acknowledged. Part of the response has been to significantly increase the number of people in training in general practice. There are different figures in this regard, but my understanding is that for every one retired doctor, there are at least two in training. We must keep this focus and get more people into training because undoubtedly there are real challenges, partic…