I have sympathy for what the Deputy said. The Sláintecare report identified three elective hospitals in Galway, Dublin and Cork. There is merit in an elective-only facility in the mid-west to free up the hospital for trauma and other tertiary treatments. It is the way to go.

Two rounds of discussions have been held with the Irish Dental Association, the most recent of which was on 17 December, when the Department and the HSE outlined provisional proposals to invest additional resources to the scheme, including €10 million provided in the budget, on top of the 2022 Estimate allocation of €56 million. The Department is anxious to move the process on in the interest of patients and hopes to meet the Irish Dental Association shortly to try to progress matters. Deputy Patricia Ryan raised t…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 8, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on Covid-19 met most recently on 17 December. The date of the next meeting has not been set. Following public health advice, the Government agreed that from 22 January, most of the public health measures that were in place could be removed, including guidance in relation to household visiting; early closing time for hospitality and events; capacity restrictions for outdoor events, including sporting fixtures; capacity restrictions f…

I thank the Deputies for the range of questions. Deputy Murnane O'Connor raised pertinent issues about getting access to dentists, GPs and acute hospital services, as well as getting access to GPs more generally in respect of non-Covid illnesses. Obviously, Covid has had an impact on our health services, as did the cyberattack last year. In respect of dentists, I have made the point that contractual discussions are ongoing with the Irish Dental Association regarding fees and so forth, and additional funding has bee…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 to 18, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on housing met nine times in 2021 and met again on Monday, 24 January. The next meeting is planned for Thursday, 3 March. This committee works to ensure a co-ordinated approach to the delivery of the programme for Government commitments regarding housing and related matters. The focus of recent meetings has been on implementation of the Housing for All plan. Housing for All is the most ambitious housing plan in the history of our S…

I thank the Deputies for raising those wide-ranging issues. Deputy Boyd Barrett referred to the five families in St. Helen's Court and the challenges that they now face.

They are facing eviction and will be in court on Friday. I do not know the specifics of what will transpire in the court case but, suffice it to say, every effort should be made to prevent eviction, particularly when families have real challenges in securing alternative accommodation, whether through the housing list or through the HAP system. There are rules governing evictions and the basis upon which evictions can be granted.

I do not know the specifics of why this-----

The matter is before the courts. In my view, every effort should be made to prevent eviction. I do not know whether or not the local authority has been involved with the tenants. That should be pursued. Deputy Bríd Smith raised the issue of affordable social and rental housing. Councillor Daithí de Róiste was in touch with me about what has transpired in the past week. He said that the committee would contact me to ask me to visit the area, which I will do. I am familiar with the facilities in Cherry Orchard, parti…

There are many questions here.

I take the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's point. Deputy O'Callaghan has been a consistent-----

I propose to take Questions Nos. 19 to 30, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on education oversees implementation of the programme for Government commitments in the area of education, including the management of Covid in schools. This committee last met on 13 May 2021. It will meet again shortly. I have regular engagement with Ministers at Cabinet and individually to discuss priority issues relating to their Departments. The three party leaders met the Minister for Education and her officials a fortnight a…

I appreciate the work Deputy O'Sullivan has been doing on special education and can confirm that the Government will support the acquisition of that site. On the broader issue of the leaving certificate, things are not going back to normal, as Deputy Ó Ríordáin has suggested. This exam will not be the same as that which would have been put together in 2018 or 2019 in that about one third of the content has been cut back. The Minister did listen to the students. No one has come up with any alternative on the accredi…

Irrespective of background, in terms of access to higher level, it is not who you know in this country. It is crude, I accept that-----

-----and it needs to be reformed.

That is not because of the leaving certificate and the Deputy knows that. That goes back much earlier-----

Is maith an rud é go bhfuilimid ag labhairt faoin gceist seo inniu mar is ceist ríthábhachtach é ó thaobh todhchaí na tíre de agus an easpa dul chun cinn i gcomhthéacs an chonartha seo. It is just over two years since we reached the New Decade, New Approach, NDNA, agreement which restored to full operation the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. This agreement was a very significant, shared achievement after three difficult years when these institutions did not operate. There are clear lessons from that peri…

I thank the Deputy for raising what I have repeatedly raised in this House, and since I became Taoiseach a year and a half ago, that housing is the single most important social issue facing our country at this time. It is an enormous challenge that goes to the heart of cohesion within society and above all of giving younger generations, in particular, the opportunity to own their homes, to be able to buy homes at an affordable rate and to be able to rent at an affordable rate. In addition to that, for those who are…

-----that the most recent attempts, which started in 2008 and attempts were made in 2015 to get that project off the ground, were defeated by politics-----

-----on a consistent basis.