-----but he is sincere about the issue of making sure we have sustainable farming into the future. That is the correct approach to take. In terms of the next decade and how we position food production in this country in a way that manages to reduce the carbon emissions, I think we have created a roadmap now for climate change and for sustainable farming that makes sense. I am not clear on the Deputy's position on climate change at all. I know some people in the Rural Independent Group seem to be against the very co…

They do not believe in the climate change view.

What is the real world? The real world is the world of climate change.

Because-----

I have no issue with people being worried but I can assure the Deputy we need to be balanced in how we comment on it as well and not be given to sloganeering and making assertions that are not true. I have seen all his presentations on it.

The Government has a comprehensive programme relating to insurance reform, with the key objective of getting premiums lowered. I accept that the industry must do more to meet the needs of consumers and to get prices down. The Minister of State, Deputy Fleming, has outlined a range of initiatives that he is undertaking in respect of insurance reform and legislation. The Deputy will know about the Judicial Council and the work on awards being reduced. There has been a significant reduction in awards in the courts and…

We are both agreed that throughout the pandemic we wanted to keep the schools open, basically for the health and well-being of children. Children are healthiest and it is best for their self-development when they are in a school setting with their friends. The public health advice is that schools are safe for children. On the wider issue of substitution, there is a very good reason for teachers being out of school. The Minister has created additional panels of substitute teachers, far more than would normally be th…

There are challenges, and I am not denying that for one moment.

Earlier I outlined the programme for the boosters. NIAC advises the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, who in turn advises the Minister in respect of who is eligible for a booster. It is an age cohort plus those with underlying conditions and those who are immunosuppressed. As of yesterday, those aged 50 and older are now eligible.

I see the need for the greater availability of maternity leave and paternity leave for public representatives more generally. In fairness, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, adopted a pioneering approach to that and the Government managed to facilitate it. Recently the Minister, Deputy Harris, took paternity leave, which is the correct and proper thing to do. I have not yet seen the Deputy's Bill.

We will give the Bill due consideration and will look at it in a constructive light. I would have thought that at local level there should be more flexibility to facilitate maternity leave for councillors.

The decisions we will be announcing will not be very impactful on employment. Working from home, as a practice, has been demonstrated in earlier parts of the pandemic to be achievable with minimal impact on the economic performance and productivity. I acknowledge it will be challenging for some employers and SMEs in particular. I do not believe there will be reduced employment as a result of the working from home decision. Since we reopened the economy and reopened society, all the feedback we have received has bee…

On 19 October, we discussed the cardiac programme in Waterford. I received information from the Department of Health and the HSE which I relayed to the Deputy on that occasion. The funding has been provided. The policy decisions have been taken. I will check on what the Deputy has said today and will come back to him on it. The policy decision has been taken in respect of the expansion of the service and recruitment.

I am just telling the Deputy what the case is. More than 4,500 people have been recruited this year alone and 6,000 in the previous year

I will check that. They should be.

I have said we will go back to the-----

I do not know whether the Deputy has spoken to Coillte about this. I will certainly take it up. I do not believe we should be selling woodlands. I do not know the background to this or the circumstances. I will certainly follow it up with Coillte and will revert to the Deputy.

It is accepted there is a significant global supply chain issue with microchips, impacting car manufacturing and the supply of cars in the marketplace. We do not intervene in every sector in respect of what transpires in given market situations. When the Deputy talks of a scheme to protect jobs, is he saying it should be for the salespeople of a dealership or what is he proposing?

If he forwards his ideas to me, we will look at them.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and his officials have been involved in negotiations with those representing community employment supervisors. What was considered a breakthrough was arrived at in the matter, and it was a significant advance on anything achieved before in respect of that issue. I will revert to the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform and alert him to what the Deputy said. I thought the offer that had been made would bring this closer to a resolution.