First of all, I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue. To be fair, the Minister for Health has really led on this front in terms of the programme and the priority he gave it in his budget submission to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. He received funding to create this year four specialist menopause clinics. The first of those four menopause clinics has opened. The intention is to do all four this year.

My view of the entire debate in this regard is that the absolute imperative is that we get a national maternity hospital built that is fit for purpose for the women who need to avail of modern, first-class and world-class facilities. There has been too much delay for years before this Government was formed because of different disputes, arguments and debates between different entities and hospitals.

I will answer the question. That is the bottom line.

If the Deputy does know,-----

The question is in the context of the debate that the Deputy has been a participant in and many here have been participants in. It is the bid to try to arrive at a consensus and a conclusion that has delayed this.

I do not have a timeline yet.

Very quickly, I do not accept the term "outcasts" in any shape or form. I think the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has-----

No, I mean in terms of the current payment scheme, which is the context in which I think the Deputy described it. I am speaking in terms of the payment scheme that the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, has announced. In fairness, he deliberated with many groups in respect of this. It is not just the payment scheme. The information and tracing Bill is essential and a whole range of measures, including the action plan, were entered into following the apology. They are all being progressed in a timely and very effective mann…

I am not of the view right now that a commission of investigation is the best model to evaluate how this country did in respect of Covid-19.

What I am intrigued by is that, even before we establish it, Aontú has clearly set its own terms of reference regarding to whom it is going to apportion blame, which is characteristic of a lot of approaches in the House.

The absence of any objectivity-----

-----in advance of an investigation is quite striking.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 9, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on social affairs and equality oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments in the areas of social policy, including sport, arts and culture, equality, including children and youth affairs, and public services, including matters relating to justice, policing reform and community safety. The Cabinet committee last met on 25 November and will meet again at an appropriate date. I have regular engagements with Ministe…

I will engage with the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, on the community and voluntary networks and their engagement in the national alcohol and drug strategy. I passionately believe in the community and voluntary pillar in terms of the implementation of national strategies and in working to formulate and implement those strategies. Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issue of tenders. The issue he raises is a feature of the current inflation hike and the increase in building costs, which is not profiteering. We all k…

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform is reforming and adapting the public procurement frameworks to accommodate this and to make sure we can get projects going and not lose too much time in getting projects completed. In this case the developer has pulled out. I will ask the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O’Brien, to get involved and to see if he can do something. I refer to the points raised by Deputy Paul Murphy. I would not describe what I was doing earlier as “blus…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 10 to 15, inclusive, together. The relationship between Ireland and the United States is deep and of long standing. It is important to the country in many ways, not least politically and economically, and it is one to which I attach the highest value. I have had a number of recent contacts with the President of the United States. I most recently spoke to him by phone on 14 November, when he congratulated Ireland on defeating the All Blacks in that wonderful rugby international. I al…

Deputy Smith raised the issue of my conversations with President Biden on the Good Friday Agreement. The President has been very consistent, in all my conversations with him, on the imperative of protecting the Good Friday Agreement and also on the importance of the protocol in the context of the trade agreement between the UK and EU. Deputy Smith referenced the idea of restoring the post of US special envoy to Northern Ireland. That idea has merit and is something we will continue to engage with the President and …

-----because people are not getting closure. That would help to change the moral of the argument in terms of the British.

I may engage with Deputy Tóibín directly afterwards with regard to Emma Reilly. If I can get some communications going on that, I certainly will. Deputy Boyd Barrett raised Sudan. I share his concerns on this. We are not sure about the agreement on 21 November between Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and the coup leader, Lt. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. We do not think that it will, on its own, create a path back to constitutional order. The agreement has been rejected by the majority of the civilian political forc…

The mere waiving of a waiver does not do that. We need to be fair and honest with people in terms of what we are doing. It means building up capacity and licensing agreements but also distribution networks within certain countries, governance-----