Ar dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist seo a ardú ó thaobh máithreacha agus leanaí, na scéime cúitimh agus an tsuíomh i dTuaim. Tá gach iarracht á dhéanamh ag an Rialtas ó thaobh reachtaíochta de do Thuaim. Mar is eol di, foilsíodh é sin, bhí sé os comhair na Dála agus tiocfaidh sé ar ais os comhair an Tí sar i bhfad. Tá Bille eile ann a bhaineann le heolas, the birth information legislation, os comhair na Dála chomh maith agus foilsíodh é go luath sa bhliain. In the context of the restorative…

Third, I just want to make the point on the proposed legislation on birth information and tracing. Again, that legislation was published. It is quite radical. It is a major evolution in the legal situation.

The Minister has written to the committee as the Bill is still in pre-legislative scrutiny before the committee. We need that expedited and all three aspects would be welcome if we could get them over the line.

The legislation was published and it went through pre-legislative scrutiny. It is intended to complement the Coroners Act 1962, in that it does not seek to undermine the authority of the coroner and prevent or prejudice any coronial investigation into what happened at Tuam. The Minister has acted assertively and proactively on the Tuam site with legislation. To be fair, what is envisaged is somewhat unprecedented but he is going ahead and doing it. Likewise, in respect of the birth information and tracing legislati…

My understanding is that the Deputy and the party opposite did not raise this issue at the Business Committee.

I am enthused by the Deputy's concern on close colleagues being appointed to positions of authority. He might look within his own party, where many close colleagues were appointed to many positions on a whole lot of bodies in Northern Ireland. I would say that it is wrong to impugn the two individuals concerned. They are people of considerable expertise in the field.

They are involved in the field. The Government made the appointment.

The Deputy is not correct. MetroLink has not been postponed for another decade. In fact, the national development plan, - it is €165 billion and 2:1 in favour of public transport - illustrates our commitment to public transport under three key priority areas. These are BusConnects in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford, in addition to light rail in those cities, DART+ in Dublin and MetroLink. The focus right now is on getting all three projects to Government for approval under the public spending code and,…

A considerable process has been underway regarding this issue long before this Government was formed. In 2018, the former Minister for Health requested that the HSE engage with Section 39 organisations to establish the facts on what cuts were applied during the financial emergency measures in the public interest, FEMPI, period. The HSE conducted a data-gathering exercise on an agreed list of 50 pilot organisations. I will not go through it all, but an agreement was reached by the parties in October 2018 on a proces…

The process involved in reopening our schools in the context of Covid has been informed from the very beginning by public health advice, and overall that has worked in respect of schools. I visited a paediatric ward in Clonmel, Tipperary last week. What I am hearing from public health and hospitals is that the bigger challenge they are facing in hospitals is RSV and other non-Covid respiratory illnesses among children. That is the biggest issue they are facing. Their very strong advice is that where there are sympt…

-----that would apply in terms of where would be optimal to apply antigen testing. He was strongly of the view-----

I certainly was not lobbied and the Government was not lobbied. The climate action plan sets out the need to deliver circa 2 GW of new flexible gas-fired power stations by 2030. These power stations will be needed to provide security of electricity supply and support an electricity system with a high level of variable renewables, such as solar and wind. The delivery of the majority of this gas-fired generation is expected to be via the capacity remuneration mechanism, which is part of the all-island single electric…

I am assured the HSE is clear that the transition of Navan hospital to a model two hospital is, first, driven by patient safety considerations but, above all, it is designed to improve the hospital's ability to meet the needs of its population and also the future vision for Navan hospital involves more, not fewer, services

I suggest the Deputy visits Roscommon hospital. The feedback I have got from it in recent years is that the range of services is far better there now than was the case.

That is very important. I said the Deputy should visit Roscommon. I know about the accident and emergency department. I have no issue with the Deputy asking for the HSE CEO to meet-----

-----the Deputies in the area. I would appeal to the Deputy in this regard. I have been through 20 years of campaigns, which are not always about health outcomes, and other matters-----

When I ask for the meeting we should engage with-----

I will, yes.

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. We have a very pleasant day yesterday in Woodfield, which is just outside Clonakilty, to receive of invaluable diaries Michael Collins kept for five years right up to the treaty and during the treaty negotiations, which were being presented by the Collins family to the National Archives. I thank the Collins family for presenting such invaluable and primary source material in order that future historians and the general public can access those documents once they are digitis…

I do not have that specific amount but I will seek that figure for the Deputy. I would be concerned about that. The national broadband plan is a contract that was developed some years ago and it is being delivered by National Broadband Ireland. Obviously, Covid impacted its initial work. There is no point in pretending it did not; it did. It has made steady progress on the delivery of the new high-speed fibre broadband network under the broadband plan. It states that more than 30,000 premises are available for orde…