Coillte is not selling land. The Deputy referred to a massive sell-off. That type of language creates polemics around this. There is no sell-off of Coillte land, and I said that in an earlier response. As I said earlier, it has entered into a partnership with the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund, which is an Irish State fund, with a view to purchasing land or existing forest. My understanding is that the bulk will be existing forest. There will be no sale of any Coillte-owned forests or publicly owned land. Any ot…

I agree with the Deputy. The matter is very serious. There were further revelations this morning about Deputies in the House, in particular Deputy Cairns. This behaviour is becoming more frequent. The Ceann Comhairle has endeavoured to raise this issue in terms of a fund and so on. I will speak to my Government colleagues in respect of this in terms of wraparound supports. I understand there is a desire to create a security fund which would assist Members in taking precautionary measures. That would at least give s…

-----on a cross-party basis to work up a comprehensive approach to this issue. I am venturing this as an idea. I am as guilty as anyone else who has been here in that I have absorbed a lot, but things have reached a new level. Collectively, we need to come to grips with this issue in a comprehensive way.

I agree with the Deputy. What is going on is shocking and its impacts are very damaging. It should not be happening. We have to await the outcome of the High Court case, not least to inform the best direction of travel in terms of legislation and the policy that prohibits this.

I know. In my view, and I have spoken to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine about this, it is too long. It has gone on for a long time - too long, from our perspective. I will engage with the Minister to see if there is anything we can do in the interim, given the legal context.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The first point I would make is that 40 years ago the world of health was vastly different from today. We have had far more productivity in the health service in the intervening years, particularly in terms of the revolution in day-case activity, day-case procedures, length of stay in hospitals and so forth. All of this has radically changed the capacity issue. One cannot compare the number of beds we had 15 or 20 years ago to the number of beds we have today and draw simp…

First of all, on the issues relating to the north east in particular, clinical protocols have already been adopted in terms of patients going to the right hospital location for the right outcome.

That is the fundamental principle that governs how doctors respond to a particular emergency. There is an issue in terms of pressures on hospitals, and of that there is no doubt. The proper utilisation of Navan in the context of medical emergencies, or indeed the pressure in medical assessment units and so on, is critical. The utilisation of hospitals in the most effective way is the key issue here in the context of safety and the best outcome for patients, which must be uppermost at all times.

I appreciate the issue the Deputy raises. I understand the point he makes in terms of the value for residents of the centre being open seven days a week, on a continuous basis, so they would not be disrupted. I will ask the Minister for Health and the Minister of State with responsibility for disabilities to engage with the HSE to resolve this issue, or at least to understand the background to it.

In terms of the specific fund itself, Coillte has legally entered into an arrangement and had the powers to do so. The review I am talking about relates to broader policy, looking at the development of alternative models. We have to avoid a monocultural approach but there will be a need for commercial forestry to underpin the timber industry itself. In the future, both Coillte and the Government are saying that 50% of all new forests will have to be native woodlands. That is the approach.

Not to this specific arrangement but the Ministers are meeting.

I thank the Deputy and acknowledge that he has raised this before. I met with Pavee Point before Christmas as well and we discussed a particular pilot project. I will be taking this up again with the Minister to see if we can get the pilot project expanded. I am not clear why the limits are there at all, particularly as we go through a very harsh winter.

I have discussed the issue of the delays with the Minister of State, Deputy Chambers. He is working proactively with the RSA in respect of the NCT. Progress has been made, with 33,500 tests having been conducted last week. That is a significant increase on the pre-Christmas period, when tests were averaging approximately 25,000 per week. The backlog is simply too long, however. As the Deputy is aware, Deputy James O'Connor raised on Sunday the point she made in respect of the charter. He has effectively highlighted…

-----the fulfilment of the charter. My understanding is there is now a commitment to fulfil the charter and the obligations within the charter in respect of those whose tests are delayed.

The National Car Testing Service, NCTS, has recruited 110 vehicle inspectors, including 44 testers, bringing the total number of vehicle inspectors to 595 by the end of last year.

We need to update the guidelines in terms of wind energy also. The Minister is seeking to bring those forward. The Deputy's point is made in respect of biogas and anaerobic digestion. There will have to be significantly more progress in respect of anaerobic digestion into the future, given the climate action plan and the commitment therein for far more anaerobic digestion plants, but I take the Deputy's point in terms of location. One would have thought the planning guidelines and local development plans would have…

In fairness to the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, he has raised this with the relevant Minister, namely, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy O'Brien. It is almost equivalence. There is a small issue around retrospection, potentially, but I do not see an issue arising in the context of the regulations the Minister will be issuing in respect of mica. The agreement and the legislation for mica is very comprehensive. The real issue, as I am sure the Deputy will agree, is to get on with it now…

It is there.

The Deputy has made a very fair point. There has been exponential growth in diagnostic access for GPs across the country in the past two years. I will ask the Minister to examine the situation in Carlow to see if that can be expanded. I am not clear about the reasons which it has not been. There may be personnel issues. I just do not know. I will follow that up. I have no doubt the Deputy will be seeking additional facilities as well.

The point is well made in respect of the impact of migration on tourism. It is a real challenge in terms of accommodation. The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, is working with the industry and met a confederation recently in respect of endeavouring to find solutions and create options. We have a real challenge in the country. We are in a war-time situation and that has impacts. Alternative accommodation is being developed in terms of reconfiguration of other buildings, …