First of all, as I said earlier, it is not by accident that they are looking at the west. There is a strong proactive Government approach to encouraging investment into the regions where that is possible and where we can facilitate it. That is a very important point. I take the Deputy's point in terms of railways more generally. In the context of climate action, the climate change agenda and the necessity to decarbonise, railways will have a much more important role now and into the future. In that context, the Min…

First of all, I thank the Deputy for raising the question. It is a very pertinent question that goes to heart of the challenges that face us in terms of Housing for All and having the requisite skill sets, but also across the broader economy. There is a waiting list for craft apprentice off-the-job training in electrical, plumbing, carpentry and joinery. The Deputy is correct on that. Covid and the measures that happened as a result in terms of lockdowns have been a factor in backlogs, but there has also been a dou…

Basically, SOLAS and the HEA have been working with the training providers. The resources have been provided to get back up to speed, but also to increase and expand.

The Deputy is tempting me. Obviously, on-the-job training, off-site training and so forth are important. The blended programme I referred to should make up time, and there is a desire to get people back on track in terms of the timeline so they can complete their apprenticeship programme within the timeline identified at the outset. I cannot give guarantees in respect of that but I would like to believe that SOLAS and the HEA will be flexible and sensible enough in terms of the design of the programmes and using th…

First, I appreciate the issue that Deputies McDonald, Barry and McGrath have raised. It is very difficult to comprehend how this occurred because this was the subject of a very exhaustive and comprehensive inquiry in the past across every single hospital in the country. The Dunne inquiry would have been involved in that. That this was done without the consent or knowledge of the bereaved parents is cruel and unacceptable. I would certainly be anxious to facilitate a debate in the House and for questions to be asked…

The Minister has produced Housing for All, an unprecedented, comprehensive strategy backed, in an unprecedented way, by resources to make a far greater number of houses available to enable people to buy houses and afford them. More than 90,000 social houses will be delivered over the period of the plan, along with thousands of cost rental and so forth. I have always stated that housing is the number one social crisis of our time and it needs everyone in this House on board. The Deputy and her party need to get a gr…

Eleven hundred apartment units were planned in the area. I do not know what the individual case-----

The point is that the Deputy keeps opposing it all, and that is a problematic issue-----

What has been announced in Housing for All is unprecedented. The investment is unprecedented.

It will be the largest number of social houses built in the history of the State. It needs delivery, but to get delivery we need to ensure all of us in this House show leadership in respect of the housing applications that come before us from here on. Otherwise, there is no point in having this kind of across-the-aisle stuff about how one group should get a grip on the issue when the Deputy does not play her part either.

The Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, is the one Minister in this House who wants that to happen. That is what he wants. He has not delayed anything; he just gave a realistic assessment of where things are and are likely to be, given the planning issues and so on. Be under no illusion, it is a priority and the national development plan will deal with that issue as well. One has to be honest and realistic, and the realistic and honest comments of the Minister were translated into a suggestion he is delaying the project. …

The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is working on the ratification process. In the meantime, we are allocating substantial resources across the board in respect of children with special needs, both in education and in the healthcare area. More critically, we must work on facilitating people with disabilities to work in the workplace as well-----

-----which is an important point. We are not doing enough either in the public service or more generally to facilitate people with disabilities to work.

As I have said, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, will work on that. If the Deputy wants my honest perspective on things, one can ratify conventions, but we need the system and we need people to work and deliver. That is the most pressing issue for me right now.

I thought the Deputy was against wealth taxes given that he votes against most of the taxes on wealth when they are introduced in the House. However, to be serious for a moment, the Ministers, Deputies Michael McGrath and Donohoe, are working on the recognition of front-line healthcare workers-----

-----and will come back to the Cabinet in respect of that issue, and then will bring it before the House.

I agree with the Deputy that the vaccine task force did an exceptional job. It was multidisciplinary and involved different aspects of the public sector and some of the private sector. Our vaccination record of 93.5% of adults is an extraordinary achievement for the country and reflects very well on all concerned. The waiting list initiative is now key. As we emerge from Covid-19 we simply must reduce the times that people are waiting to get procedures. The Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, will develop…

I am surprised the Deputy is raising that issue. I am informed that nobody in south Tipperary is waiting for home help hours as of the end of August. If the Deputy talks to the Minister of State, Deputy Butler-----

Last year about 7,000 people were waiting and that has been reduced to 1,300 now.

One of the issues facing the sector is getting enough skilled workers into the home care sector. That is our biggest challenge now. More than €5 million was allocated last year which has had a dramatic impact on reducing the waiting times and also had an impact on the flow through hospitals. The issue will be getting personnel to work in the sector.