To be fair, the Government has responded to issues that have arisen, which have not been created by it. For example, the Government responded to the free legal aid issue and amended legislation to facilitate that in respect of the coroner's inquests. As the Deputy knows, there was a tribunal of inquiry some time ago, which clearly did not, for understandable reasons, meet the concerns of the families or give closure in any respect. It led to findings that caused a lot of upset. There have been subsequent reviews of…

The Environmental Protection Agency is there to protect the environment and to ensure adherence to the strict laws governing industrial projects of this kind, including manufacturing entities, mining entities and refining entities. I will refer the Deputy's remarks to the EPA and will seek a reply from it regarding this matter.

There has been an enormous expansion in additional needs education. I am not clear whether all the schools in the area are accepting children with special needs.

In my view, schools should be open to accepting children. The Deputy might let us know if there are schools that have made applications for additional capacity in order that we can get those accelerated to cater for children who-----

-----should get places in line with their progression. In other words, if they need places next September, they should get them.

We are very anxious to get this matter resolved and concluded. As the Deputy knows, talks with the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, have been ongoing for quite some time. Subject to agreement on all elements of the claims, the Department of Education has offered to move school secretary pay rates to a scale that is aligned with the clerical officer grade III pay scale on a pro rata basis, according to the secretaries' current working patterns. The Department has also offered to improve the conditions for school…

I will refer those figures to the Minister for Health. That should not be the case because resources have increased. I accept what the Deputy has presented, but the resources to the services have increased. I will follow that up.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue, which he has raised with me previously. It is a very fair point. I will raise the matter with the Minister and the HSE in respect of doing the thing properly and making sure that HPV vaccine coverage is as comprehensive as possible.

I agree with the Deputy. I am putting enormous pressure on my colleague sitting two seats from me to get on with it; he assures me that it will be done in the next two to three weeks. I have been to schools where it is very dispiriting when students come up to me to ask why they cannot have a solar panel on their school. This is part of a wider education and awareness programme. Young people want to lead on climate change and these sort of things so the pressure is on for everyone.

As I said, this Government would be the first Government to do it. No other Government has done this. We should do it. I take the Deputy's point.

It was a significant challenge to get the scheme on an administrative basis in the first instance. I pay tribute to the Minister for doing that. I was anxious that would happen. I am not clear as to the legislative timeline for it but I will revert to the Deputy on that.

As I said earlier, the Minister will shortly bring before Government an overall plan for waiting list reductions for 2022. Approximately €350 million will be allocated for 2022, with a multiannual waiting list initiative afterwards as part of that. There is an urgent need to get waiting lists down as we emerge from Covid-19.

In the first instance, we stand ready to support HSE South and the HSE more generally in respect of any plans that emanate from the region. The HSE at national level has taken an interest in what is happening in the south region in terms of structures and so on. The capacity issue also needs to be enhanced. We need proposals as well from the hospital and the hospital group in terms of initiatives that can be funded at central level and will be funded.

It is a Courts Service issue. I will ask the Minister, Deputy McEntee, to engage with the Courts Service on the matter. We are always anxious to do what we can for Kerry.

The specific functions and objectives of the agency have yet to be determined. The overall objective is to co-ordinate much more effectively services and policy in relation to domestic violence, sexual violence and gender-based violence. It is felt that pulling the different strands together under one agency is the best way to go. Prioritising that will be policy, the wraparound services from Tusla and a more direct approach to building proper state-of-the-art centres and refuges. The point the Deputy raises is ver…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 10, inclusive, together. The Government recognises the importance of regular and open engagement with all sectors of society. Social dialogue between Government, trade unions and other representative groups takes place through structures like the national economic dialogue, the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council and many sectoral groups and with Ministers and Departments directly. In recent months, I have had a numb…

Deputy Ó Ríordáin asked about the cost of living measures and the remote working legislation. Suffice to say that the Government allocated approximately €1 billion in the most recent budget towards cost of living issues, from taxation relief of some €630 million to more than €500 million in respect of social protection measures. That was added to last week by a package of more than €500 million, which included cutting electricity bills by €200 and an increased fuel allowance payment of €125. That is on top of the €…

I will talk to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy McConalogue, about the pig meat sector. I will also talk to the European Commission but I will talk to the Minister in the first instance. It is under huge pressure because of the wider issues pertaining to costs, input costs and so on. I will come back to the Deputy on that.

I propose to takes Questions Nos. 11 to 17, inclusive, together. The relationship between Ireland and the United States is deep and long-standing. It is important to the country in many ways, not least politically and economically. It is one to which I attach the highest value. I have had a number of contacts with the President of the United States. Most recently, I spoke to him by telephone on 14 November last year. I also had the opportunity to speak to him in person last November in the margins of the world lead…

Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the Russia-Ukraine crisis. He and Deputy Barry said they would be critical of a possible attack by the Russians on Ukraine.