No, I am not. I am genuinely not.

First, BusConnects is a huge priority. There have been comprehensive and extensive consultations with communities about BusConnects. The investment has been put into the NDP to make that happen. Likewise, with MetroLink, that is going to happen. I understand all of the frustrations and I accept the point-----

No, the documentation-----

I have spoken to the Minster for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan about this-----

The Government has provided funding. This will go to planning in early 2022. The three decisions on BusConnects, DART+ and MetroLink will come to Cabinet shortly, before Christmas and early in the new year-----

The bottom line is that there are planning processes we have to get through. We have to get through them.

No one in here can determine the length of time that will be involved in getting over those timeframes, challenges and so on that inevitably happen with projects as large as this. What has been provided is the funding to underpin the project in the national development plan. The Minister is determined to progress these three key elements of the transport strategy for the greater Dublin area.

I thank the Deputy for raising a very important issue. I acknowledge there are significant challenges in fully implementing the dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, which provides dental care, free of charge, to medical card holders aged 16 and over. These services are provided by independent dental practitioners who have a contract with the Health Service Executive. I know the Deputy has spoken eloquently and has been in touch with the Irish Dental Association, IDA. The Irish Dental Association is discussing th…

I thank the Deputy. I will talk to the Minister for Health about the publication of the report on orthodontic care. These are negotiations and discussions that involve contractors seeking a better contract, which will involve additional resources from the taxpayer to provide care for those who have medical cards. We want to provide free dental care for those with medical cards. As always, with contractual negotiations, there are two sides to every story. I am informed that officials in the Department of Health and …

I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue and assure her that the essence of the national development plan is to address the regional imbalance in economic development in the country. She mentioned the citywide strategy. That is a good thing because it will help all regions in terms of that imbalance. If the Deputy looks at key sectors such as education, for example, there is investment in the technological university embracing Sligo, Letterkenny and Galway-Mayo institutes of technology, ITs. They will co…

I accept the Deputy's point about the need for accountability and metrics and measurements to ensure the objectives of the plan materialise. There are always different metrics used by different bodies and groups to analyse and reach conclusions. For me, one of the essential ingredients of the NDP is human capital. Maybe all of us focus too much on the big, mega-project. What drives economics and society is investment in human capital. Education at all levels is the key to the economic development of any region. Tha…

I assure the Deputy that this is receiving the active and ongoing engagement of the Ministers, Deputies O'Gorman, Darragh O'Brien and McEntee. The latter has returned as Minister; before that, it was Deputy Humphreys. Additional resources were provided in the budget. The working through and the consultations with key stakeholders on the strategy continue. We want to arrive at a situation where in all parts of the country facilities, refuge and supports are provided to victims of domestic violence.

The booster campaign is important in this phase of the pandemic in reducing severe illness. The evidence is strong now. Evidence is emerging that administration of the booster vaccine to the over-80s is having an impact on reducing severe illness in that age cohort. I am aware of the interaction and the proper level of engagement with the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, NPHET and NIAC. We have to avoid the sense that politicians are declaring on clinical issues. Doctors want the protection as they administer vaccines o…

I have no tolerance for voids or for hanging around. Voids should be brought back into use very quickly where houses are vacated. When I came into office, I asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, to focus on this with the July stimulus. The report related to prior to the pandemic. Since then, and by the end of this year, my understanding is that approximately 6,000 void units will have been brought back into use. Specific funding was given to local authorities in the …

I stated earlier in response to other questions that the rent situation is hugely challenging for renters. We need more supply. If anything, the report shows the scarcity of units available now to rent. That is what it really illustrates, the absolute scarcity of apartments and houses. We need to build more, and we need to get them built as quickly as we possibly can. Everybody needs to facilitate the construction of the various schemes that have been planned that are ready to go. That should be our focus right now…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. He correctly pointed out the enormous resources that are there – 19,000 SNAs and 14,000 special education teachers. The National Council for Special Education makes the decisions in respect of the various schools and the assessments that are carried out through the special educational needs organisers, SENOs. I will bring the issue the Deputy highlighted to the attention of the Minister.

Deputy Collins's analysis is wrong. We are the last country in Europe to bring in such a regime. We have delayed and prevaricated and that has not helped our cause in Europe. It will not help our cause if Deputy Collins's view is to persist in terms of future negotiations of the Common Fisheries Policy. We need a broader view in terms of how to deal with the fishing industry in the future.

I genuinely think this approach is wrong. That is why I want to facilitate engagement with fishing interests and have a proper national dialogue in terms of the bigger challenges they face in respect of Brexit. At the time, we avoided a no-deal Brexit, which would have been horrendous and catastrophic for the fishing industry.

It is because under the Common Fisheries Policy we had access to UK waters. There needs to be a collective strategic approach on fishing, not one based on attacking on issues that are not going to help the overall situation at the end of the day.

I will come back to Deputy Connolly with a specific time and date on the publication of the plan. As I stated earlier, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy O'Gorman, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, are working together to develop a comprehensive strategy to ensure there is full coverage and protection for victims of domestic violence across the entire country. There are areas at t…