Aontaím leis an Teachta. Tá sé dochreidte go bhfuil sé seo fós ag tarlú sa lá atá inniu ann. Déanaim comhbhrón arís leis na teaghlaigh go léir atá ag fulaingt de dheasca an mhéid a tharla. Caithfimid dul i ngleic leis seo agus an scéal a réiteach. On the review being shared with the families in Cork, I have asked that be done as quickly as possible and that the audit by the HSE be published. I understand it has been released via freedom of information requests. That is one understanding I had this morning. I can co…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. There are two separate issues here but I accept there is a connection in terms of overall planning. On the amendments coming forward to the Planning and Development Act, four sets of amendments were initially considered for inclusion by Government in the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill. All four sets of amendments were identified by Government for inclusion in the next available planning Bill, which was the Planning and Development (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill…

Many of these amendments are not offensive and are quite pragmatic. We should always work to streamline our planning system and make it more efficient. Most people are saying it takes too long to get anything through the planning system. Judicial reviews need streamlining. That does not stop anybody having the right to go to judicial review. We need to examine the system because everybody in the House is talking about supply. Everyone wants projects built quickly, including the Deputy, when it suits.

The Deputy is the first person in the House to ask why this and that have not been done. Any State agency asked about the vital infrastructure that is needed in the country will say planning delays are the most significant ones. It can take two or three years. In maritime area planning, it will take eight to ten years to get an offshore wind energy project done. That is too long. Collectively, we need to work our way through this because projects are taking too long. We have changed the strategic development provis…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and accept the sincerity of the case he is making in respect of the climate action plan and the need to reduce emission ceilings. I think the Deputy agrees there is an overall need to create emission ceilings and to reduce emissions in all sectors of the economy, including agriculture. It is important the Irish Government supports the Irish agricultural industry. We also need balance in the debate and should consider words such as "devastating", "catastrophic" and so on. The…

The Deputy means "wagging".

We are only two years in government. We inherited a massive backlog. Why? Be honest and tell the truth now and again and stop the political nonsense. There were individuals out in society that objected to every planning application on forestry, including felling, planting and harvesting. The Deputy knows that as well as I know that. He should not be trying to blame Government or politicians or scapegoating the Minister of State at the Department, which is a wrong thing to do. The Minister of State, Senator Hackett,…

First, I want to thank the Deputy for raising this issue. He has been consistently raising this issue for quite some time along with Deputy Cahill, who has been very persistent on it. We are aware of the depth of feeling among the people in Roscrea associated with the Dean Maxwell Community Nursing Unit. The Deputy gave the background to the decision making that led to where we are. It serves the community very well. Its location is right in the centre of the town, which facilitates all who wish to visit those who …

Whatever summer break I get will be a relatively short one. I am not going anywhere in a hurry due to pressing demands on our time. We can make arrangements to set up that meeting. The Minister of State has put a lot of work and thought into this. We will engage with the HSE as well to get a workable solution that can meet the needs of the community.

The Government is finalising regulations relating to measures to enhance air quality. The Deputy did not mention air quality in his presentation. Does he have any-----

I know that but the Deputy cannot be just defending the coal industry all the time because that is what goes to the-----

The issue in terms of these regulations is smoky coal, which is killing people. That is the big picture.

The Deputy's party just keeps ducking and diving. He refuses to accept responsibility, which he should, as a legislator, in respect of the need to protect people. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is one of the biggest killers in Ireland. The town of Enniscorthy had air quality measures similar to those of New Delhi in the middle of winter because of smoky coal. That is the real target of these regulations.

In respect of turf, representatives of my party and others have made very sensible ideas and suggestions and those will be reflected in the regulations in the context of the traditional turbary rights of bog owners being protected.

Yes.

The setting of such levels is extremely challenging. The Deputy heard the remarks of the previous speaker. She and I are at one on the climate crisis. I am not sure that is true of those seated to her left in the House because all I get from them are reasons we should keep delaying doing anything. It is urgent. We are very late to the table. In a global sense, climate change is happening before our very eyes at a much more rapid pace than people even predicted. I was struck recently by the US envoy, John Kerry, say…

Yes. The Government has demonstrated that it is up for the challenge. In the two years it has been in office, it has done very significant work-----

-----in terms of legislation, the funding allocated to active travel and rewetting our bogs. There are huge resources going into biodiversity now, contrary to what was happening before, in terms of the National Parks and Wildlife Service being established as an agency by the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan. There is significant work going on across the board, including the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, initiative that has been announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which wi…

-----and calculations because these ceilings have serious implications for every sector. It is not like switching on and off a light.

I will get a more detailed reply from the HSE on the issue of the procurement of PPE. It is important to point out that, in the midst of a pandemic, actions were taken on a set of principles and making sure that we would have a sufficiency of supply of PPE.