Approximately €225 million was allocated in budget 2022 for the roll-out of the national broadband plan. That is a massive investment in the regions and will address connectivity issues faced by rural Ireland. Some 260 direct employees and 815 indirect employees are working with build-design contractors on foot of that investment. Broadband connection points are a key element of the national broadband plan providing high-speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll-out of the fibre to the home network. As…

I just want to say the-----

I will come back to the Deputies with more detail on that.

The Minister has already introduced legislation to protect tenants on a range of fronts not least students in terms of upfront deposits covering rent and he has put limitations on that. I will revert to the Deputy on the timelines of any further protections that are on the way.

I thank the Deputy for raising a very important and serious issue. The report to which he referred highlights this serious issue, which has also been well profiled in media assessments of the report. The Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, will shortly be announcing funding of €1 million to increase access to, and the provision of, community-based drug and alcohol services. That will support the work of drug and alcohol task forces, with a proportion of it to be allocated to community healthcare organisation, CHO 7,…

We need a more co-ordinated approach, not just doing it one area by one area.

These are often key buildings in key locations within town centres. Through the various mechanisms we have at our disposal, whether rural funding or town centres first policy funding, we certainly are interested in working in partnership with any organisations to facilitate the provision of such buildings for the benefit of communities, including, for example, in the form of hub activity that could create new microbusiness start-ups in those towns. We are very open to doing that.

First, in regard to Covid-19 and schools, we have followed public health advice from the very beginning. I do not know whether the Deputy and other Deputies are suggesting we should suspend that approach. Deputies and public representatives seem to be assuming upon themselves the role of public health advisers in regard to schools.

Hold on a second, Deputy. I am not finished yet.

It is very important.

What support? The Deputy's party has been the most divisive party in regard to Covid-19 for the past 12 months.

You have been opportunistic.

I am not talking about the Deputy personally; I am talking about his party. You have been opportunistic, divisive and you have played it on both sides all along.

You have not even allowed me to finish replying to you.

You mentioned two things, Covid and substitution, and I was going to deal with both of them, if you had the good manners to wait and get the reply.

The bottom line is this: on Covid-19, I will say once again that we have adhered to public health advice. If you want us to jettison public health advice, have the guts to say it and stop trying to hide behind blaming the Government.

On the second issue, of course there is a challenge in regard to substitution. The Minister has put in place a range of measures and significant and substantive resources have been made available to schools and principals in respect of substitution. The Minister is open to doing everything possible to alleviate the pressures on principals in respect of substitution.

Cut out the blackguarding now, you.

Yes. Deputy Ó Laoghaire should think of other people.

I am not sure which Minister this is a matter for, whether Deputy Eamon Ryan, Deputy Darragh O'Brien or Deputy Humphreys. If the Deputy can specify the applications she is referring to, we certainly want to be as responsive as we possibly can in respect of local improvement schemes in rural areas. Substantial capital funding has been allocated for a whole range of rural renewal projects. I would be interested in seeing the details of the applications to which the Deputy referred.