I thank the Deputies for raising the various issues. In the first instance, the Minister for Defence, Deputy Coveney, has been dealing and having engagements with the Women of Honour representative group. As Deputy Clarke said, I understand there will be further engagement shortly. Regarding the issues the Deputy raised, it would seem that on the face of the evidence and what has been put forward, there could in some instances be a case for criminal investigations in terms of the abuse that took place. To have a st…

-----as do all of those on the left. The Deputy keeps calling for a wealth tax and then he attacks-----

It is, especially in the context of the very high value of houses that he wants-----

Deputy Boyd Barrett wants all the millionaires and billionaires to get away scot-free. He does not think that they should be taxed at all in respect of their massive properties.

The Deputy does not believe so because he votes against it all the time. There is an ESRI study which shows that if the French wealth tax system applied in Ireland, it would only yield €22 million. That was an ESRI analysis back in 2016. There is a big difference between €22 million and €4 billion. There are issues of residency and so on, as the Deputy knows, as well as a whole lot of other stuff.

Deputy Paul Murphy referred to schools. Again, I pay tribute to all the teachers, principals, parents and students in our schools for their efforts throughout the pandemic. It has been difficult and challenging time for them. Significant resources have been provided to schools, from PPE right the way through to funding for expenditure, to allow them to deal with the Covid-19 challenge. My view is that schools have coped well. There have clearly been challenges, not least in terms of the most recent wave caused by O…

It was around this time last week that Ashling Murphy went out for a run in Tullamore. At the start of her career and at the start of the new year, Ashling was in the prime of her life and was looking forward to the time ahead. But, as we all know, this talented and beautiful young woman never made it home. On behalf of everyone in the Government and everyone in this House, I wish to convey my profound sympathy and sorrow again to Ashling's family, her partner, her friends, her colleagues, her pupils and to the wid…

I will not take off Chris de Burgh.

I wish the Deputies opposite a very happy Christmas. I am off to the European Union Council meeting tomorrow, so I may not get the opportunity to do so then. I wish the Ceann Comhairle a happy Christmas and thank him for all his facilitation during the year and his tolerance and patience. I hope it can last another session. I thank the ushers, the Captain of the Guard and the team here for their co-operation and guidance during a very difficult situation in relation to Covid-19. In response to Deputy McDonald's que…

I was taken somewhat by what was said yesterday in Stormont by Deputy McDonald's colleague, the deputy First Minister, Michelle O'Neill. She said, "If ever there was a time for a united front on the public health message, it's today, because we are facing into a very, very difficult period in the weeks ahead". I make this general point across the House. It is a fair comment. That said, with regard to a number of points Deputy McDonald has raised, there is no issue with the Moderna vaccine. It is not being rushed ou…

Yes, we will.

As I said earlier, we are working through the three channels with regard to additional output, if we can, on the GP side, the pharmacies and extending the hours of the vaccination centres.

The acute hospital system has been told as well and has been engaged with in terms of reducing some activities with a view to engaging with the vaccination programme.

It is not that simple.

First, there has been constant engagement with the IMO from the leadership of the HSE and indeed the Minister for Health has also been in touch over the week and before that to explore more ways to expand the number of vaccines that can be administered through the GP network and system. It is important to pay tribute to them and to all those who have worked in this area. Sometimes, some of the commentary does not give due recognition - I am not speaking of anybody here - to the enormous efforts that some people are…

First, the older age cohorts sequence is the established public health approach to the vaccination programme. In other words, those most at risk by dint of age, illness or underlying conditions are vaccinated first. That has always been the process.

Yes, but it also protects us against the worst the virus can do in terms of hospitalisation and ICU. It protects people who are more at risk of being severely impacted by the virus. That has been the case from the beginning of this pandemic. Older age cohorts and people with underlying conditions are most impacted by the virus, unfortunately. That said, we are hoping that we will shortly be in a position in relation to the 40- to 49-year-olds to bring that date forward. I take the Deputy's point in terms of flexibi…

I thank the Deputy for raising a very important matter. On the question of Ukraine, there is a range of EU meetings tomorrow and Thursday, including an EU Council meeting. Ukraine and the position pertaining to Russia will be raised. We have already had preliminary discussions and preparatory meetings late last week in respect of that matter. It is entirely unacceptable that this type of pressure is being put on Ukraine by the massing of so many Russian military personnel on Ukraine's borders. The European Union is…

I have discussed this with the Minister for Defence. We want a strong and accelerated follow-through on the recommendations of the commission. It cannot be a report that is just left on the shelf. It has to be activated, followed through on and implemented. Obviously, we will have to see the nature of the recommendations and make an assessment of them, but it is critical to the country. We have seen since the beginning of the pandemic that the Defence Forces have been outstanding in a range of areas to do with the …

First, I want to pay tribute to the sector, which I think has responded very well since we reopened society and sectors of the economy. Since the springtime, the construction sector has really rebounded, to be fair to it. From October to October, we are looking at approximately 31,000 housing commencements, which is a significant piece of work in terms of getting housebuilding back on track to the kinds of levels we need to deal with the housing crisis and the situation facing many people. The Deputy correctly poin…