Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan raised a very interesting issue. I accept his point that rural communities are leading the way in respect of climate change, and I would endorse fully his view of “every village, every hour”. This is an issue we need to return to in terms of providing local public transport and local services. Obviously, they can be provided by different providers but it is that people throughout rural Ireland would have regular access to such transport alternatives. The Deputy is right in saying that …

I think it could sweeten up the Members. It would have that desired impact.

On the National Biodiversity Data Centre, I will speak to the Minister again in that regard. Deputy Boyd Barrett raised the issue of taxi drivers. I do not want to get into the nitty-gritty of the operation of every scheme. The Deputy said €6 million has been taken up out of €15 million in respect of electric vehicles. I think every opportunity should be given to people to avail of that.

Sometimes deadlines on schemes are to get people to apply because, otherwise, it goes on forever and people do not apply. Deadlines provide a catalyst to get a scheme up and running and get it moving. I will talk to the Minister in that regard and also in regard to the other matters in terms of the thresholds by which a scheme is extended or not. I will get the background to that and I will see if it is as the Deputy presents it. I will leave it at that because there were other issues that I spoke about earlier whi…

Yes. Deputy Paul Murphy said the equivalent of the big oil companies are the big agribusinesses. I do not know who he is referring to.

Who are they?

But who are they?

Is it the farmers?

I am just wondering whether the Deputy was afraid to use the term “farmer” and he just used this ideological term “big agribusiness”.

Who is an ordinary farmer? The language-----

That is it, is it not? That is the crux of the position Deputy Murphy takes all of the time but, actually, there are many farmers out there-----

In respect of my engagement with Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, that was in respect of the accuracy of what he said. He was simply inaccurate in what he said. He could not produce the quote. That is the point. I will challenge that when it is said. I have no recollection of ever saying that. I will tell Deputy Paul Murphy one thing: I think we need food security.

Ireland is a leader environmentally and probably far friendlier on emissions targets than any other country. We are world leaders in terms of being friendly. We can do better and we have to do better, but there is always a balance between food security and the climate agenda, and it is a challenging one. However, we need to produce food in Europe.

We can see what is happening and, very often, how the balance changes. We look at Afghanistan. I was reading recently how Afghanistan in the 1970s was cosmopolitan and people were in far better condition. Look at Afghanistan today.

We must be balanced.

We must do things in a progressive way. We must make farming more environmentally friendly and so on.

I will attend a meeting of the European Council tomorrow and Friday, 21 and 22 October. Tá agenda cuimsitheach ann a chlúdóidh Covid, cúrsaí eacnamaíochta agus go háirithe, ról na hEorpa i gcomhthéacs cúrsaí polaitíochta an domhain agus cúrsaí trádála. Beidh sin faoi chaibidil againn agus mar aon leis sin tá cruinnithe a bhaineann leis an Eoraip le teacht. At this week's meeting we will have a very full agenda, touching on very many important issues facing the Union. We will discuss Covid-19, with a particular focu…

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue. I also join the House in expressing our sympathies to the families of the late Máire Mhac an tSaoi - b'fhile den scoth í a rinne an-chuid ar son ár dteanga dhúchais - Brendan Kennelly, Paddy Moloney and Tony MacMahon, artists and musicians who enriched our lives in a wonderful way. I think the fundamental premise of the Deputy’s question is wrong. The driver of our responses over the last two years in terms of health, and public health in particular, has been the Covid viru…

An increase in the number of ICU beds from 255 to 321 by the end of this year is not a drop in the ocean. If the Deputy knows anything at all about ICU beds, it is not about the beds themselves but the entire staffing team that goes behind them.

The number will be up to 340 by the end of 2022. That is an enormous increase in ICU beds over a very short period of time. In addition, as I said earlier, well over 900 beds will be provided.