What we did last year - in the funding we provided for the winter initiative, which got us through last winter - was we provided two-year funding to enable the staff to be recruited and the beds to be provided, so we would not have the annual struggle that went on between Departments in respect of getting annual allocations. That has been very effective.

However, other measures have to take place, of course, in respect of diagnostics and other measures in terms of home care and so on to make sure, as far as we possibly can, that there is a very good, efficient flow through our hospitals.

I want to make a final point. The issue about the increasing numbers is not about hospital beds alone, although that is important. It is about individuals. We want to protect individuals and that is why protective measures are needed from severe illness and so on.

Every debate we have when restrictions come in or go out is the same. I recall a debate in the Dáil before the summer on the measure that enabled us to open hospitality, namely, the vaccination service. It was a heated debate with Members opposite saying it was the worst thing we could possibly do, yet it enabled the reopening of hospitality, including restaurants and pubs. Has anybody on the Opposition side said we got that wrong or have they said they were confused or that they gave an incoherent message? The Opp…

The Deputy has made a very true statement there, in that we cannot put all of the eggs in the vaccination basket alone. In fact, that is what the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, said to us last evening. He made that very point. Vaccination is a game changer, of course, but we need additional non-pharmaceutical protections to be in play as well to keep the virus at bay, particularly during the winter season because there could be a seasonality factor. In our climate, we tend to be indoors more during the winter period i…

That instruction cannot be issued in the manner articulated by the Deputy and he knows that well. The legislation underpinning NAMA is very specific. That Act sets specific objectives and functions for NAMA, which are well established. NAMA has facilitated the construction of housing. There is an issue in terms of how, going forward, we interact with NAMA in regard to the provision of social housing. NAMA has in the past offered social housing to the State through the local authorities and so forth, some of which w…

NAMA represents the taxpayer. It had a responsibility, with regard to the loans it took over, to yield a return for the taxpayer, whom this Oireachtas represents. As I said earlier, NAMA has offered housing stock to local authorities already. As I said, in the coming period, the utilisation of NAMA's activities in respect of further housing provision is something that is under ongoing review by Government, and it will remain under review. However, we need more houses and we need more houses of different types.

We are providing social housing.

We are not doing it at €500,000. The State is going to build-----

The State is going to build social housing. We will provide 11,000 social homes in 2022. That is what we are going to do. We are going to do an average build of about 9,000 every year. In addition the State is going to build and help to facilitate the building of a whole range of affordable houses, and cost rental ones also.

When I was a history student, the first thing I was told was that one should always endeavour to be objective in terms of one's historical narrative, to try to see all sides of the story and the equation and not to view things through the prism of one's own narrow perspective or partisan view of things. I recall that when I was the Minister for Education and Science, many of the institutes of technology or the then regional technical colleges were looking for status upgrades and so on. I recall looking at the plant…

We are going to dramatically expand cardiac provision as Deputy Shanahan knows. It is provided for and-----

We need to get the second cath lab built and staffed. That is how to progress it and get a 24-hour service. You have to progress it. The Deputy knows that at this stage-----

------through all the deliberations that we have been through. University Hospital Waterford is commencing the recruitment of the required staff right now for the second catheterisation lab in the coming months. That is a massive improvement. The Deputy knows the arrangement for intervention cardiology and diagnostic elective procedures between UHW and UPMC in Waterford and the service-level agreement that has been arrived at. He also knows that for the North Quays, the largest ever investment by a government in Wa…

The Deputy is talking about and creating a narrative of partisan investment in different parts of the country. There is huge investment committed to, announced and allocated to Waterford in terms of the physical infrastructure of the North Quays, investment in the hospital and the new technological university, which will be very beneficial to the region.

On behalf of the Government, and particularly my colleagues Deputies Varadkar and Eamon Ryan who cannot be here and have asked me to speak on their behalf, I join with the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and all Members of the House in expressing our deepest sympathies at the untimely and tragic death of Sir David Amess. Sir David was so needlessly murdered while meeting with and serving his own constituents last Friday in Southend-on-Sea. Holding clinics is something we as elected representatives do as part of our public se…

If I understand it correctly, Deputy Tóibín wants a debate on Covid-19 and what he describes as "a disaster and a failure of government". That language is completely wrong and inappropriate. We were designated number one in the world for resilience in respect of Covid in the Bloomberg report. It is for it to determine that we are number one.

That report was on our entire handling of Covid-19 and places to live during Covid in terms of the resilience of society. It had a whole range of factors, from the economy to vaccination. I know enough about a global pandemic to know that it can come back to bite at any time. We have noticed that different countries have different phases of the pandemic, which manifests itself differently. It has not been a disaster in Ireland because in terms of mortality and incidence, we are way below other comparable countries …

-----was virulently against - and in terms of masks and other issues where appropriate and practical. By the way, I do not have an issue with a debate. All Members agreed to the Order of Business and the schedule for the week.

I know. The trajectory went kind of wrong over the last two weeks. As I said earlier, the timelines are not of the Government’s creation. Covid-19 does not respect our parliamentary schedule. That is the point and because it does not respect our parliamentary schedule, the Government is open to facilitating a debate, although not today. Thursday could be an opportunity if the Business Committee could meet and if that is the desire of the House, but that is a matter for the Business Committee. On Deputy Ó Ríordáin's…