As Deputy Mattie McGrath said, 80% of the funding was allocated and to be fair to the community, they raised €35,000. We will keep the situation under review in terms of what the tender price comes in at. We will see what can happen and work with the local authority there as well.

The task force on Shannon was advocated long before the most recent employment issues. Something was committed to on the Government's formation, and it is a wider issue, particularly in the context of developing the entire estuary. We are conscious of the policies on fossil fuels and non-provision of fossil fuel infrastructure so we want to look at alternative infrastructure that can generate employment and help economic recovery in the Shannon area. Offshore wind is an example, along with other developments of tha…

I fully accept that issues have arisen, particularly with regard to the horrific murder of Keane Mulready-Woods. It is important to point out that Garda resources have increased significantly in the area over the past number of years. There are now 331 gardaí in the area as of March this year, compared with 277 in 2015. There has been an increase in Garda resources. There must be a multi-agency response to questions not just of crime but of assistance to young people who are facing difficult challenges. It is somet…

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Michael McGrath, allocated significant additional resources to Irish Water in 2020, particularly in the July stimulus programme, as well as in the Estimates for 2021. Of course, the objective of the allocation of those resources was to enhance water infrastructure, including reservoir provision, waste water treatment plants and so forth. I hope that those resources can be provided in this case in order that the necessary work can get the green light.

I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important question. I urge everybody called for their second vaccine dose to take that dose. It is the best protection we can give to one another and it is extremely important that this happens. The HSE has brought forward the interval for the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine so by mid-July, all that age cohort should have their second dose of AstraZeneca. That is a significant advance on what was originally planned. It will give up to 92% protection against the D…

Noah Donohoe's death was very sad and tragic. My understanding is the authorities in Northern Ireland have been pursuing this investigation and the degree to which this jurisdiction can have an impact on that investigation is clearly limited. I will revert on seeing what we can do to expedite a meeting with the family.

The Mercosur agreement as it currently stands is not consistent with European Union climate change objectives and trade deals must be consistent with those objectives. Given the rampant deforestation of the land in the Amazon region, it seems clear the Brazilian Government is not serious about addressing climate issues. The dairy industry is a strong industry in Ireland. It provides thousands of jobs in rural Ireland and across the regions. It produces high-quality output in milk and baby formula, which provide gre…

I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Butler, on the very proactive role she has played in dealing with dementia. She has followed through on the role she played while in opposition when she did some great work with former Senator Colette Kelleher in producing a groundbreaking report. The Minister of State has followed through in implementing the report's recommendations in her first year in her role. I always regret that attempts were made to politicise the vaccination programme. Sinn Féin has never resiled…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The purpose of the Patient Safety (Notifiable Patient Safety Incidents) Bill 2019 is to set out the legislative framework for a number of important patient safety measures, including mandatory open disclosure of specified serious patient safety incidents, including a process to designate other patient safety incidents by regulation in line with advancements in clinical practice, the notification of these serious incidents externally to the Health Information and Quality Au…

The clinicians are responsible in the hospital. The guidelines have been issued nationally. This should not be happening and that family should be facilitated by the hospital. The vaccinations have worked in hospital settings. The incidence of the disease is very low in hospitals because of the positive impact of vaccinations. I do not know which hospital it is-----

If the Deputy sends the details to my office, I will follow through with the Health Service Executive with regard to what is happening at the hospital, what the policy is and exactly why the clinical guidance issued nationally is not being followed, if that is the case.

I thank the Deputy for the issue he has raised. I know he is a long-time advocate for statutory home care. There is a commitment to do that and I will revert to the Deputy with an update on the progression of that legislation. Through the Minister for Health, the HSE and its CEO, we have given very clear direction on what should happen in maternity hospitals around partners being allowed in for all the scans and for births. That also applies in respect of Limerick.

I will meet representatives from the fishing industry next week on a broad range of significant issues that face the industry. I am not in a position to direct the SFPA because of legislation passed in this House which separates the executive function from the operational enforcement obligations on the SFPA.

To respond to Deputy Costello, again the wider legacy issues of the Stormont House Agreement have to be dealt with in concert. We will work to see whether we can do it independently but there is a need for all parties to the agreement to move and follow through on it and we are committed to doing so. I will contact the HSE in respect of additional resources and what the situation is with regard to respite for children in both centres identified.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 3, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on Covid-19 was re-established by Government on 29 June 2020 to continue to assess the social and economic impacts of the potential spread of Covid-19 and oversee the cross-government response. The committee met most recently on Thursday, 27 May. The date of the next meeting has not been set. Our overall approach to the management of the pandemic continues to be one that is cautious and sustainable over the immediate, medium and lon…

On Deputy Kelly's questions, I will check in relation to Janssen. I have not seen research either in respect of the Janssen vaccine and its efficacy in protecting against the Delta variant. Unfortunately, the situation with Janssen supply has been very difficult in terms of the vaccines being in a plant in America and not being freed up. That has significantly impacted on supplies to this country in respect of Janssen, as the House will be aware. In respect of the Irish Wheelchair Association, Deputy Kelly is corre…

I will see what I can do to relax the criteria. We did not ask that they be that tight. We want to support community facilities because communities have been very good during Covid-19. They have been very effective in helping the State's efforts and society's efforts to deal with Covid-19. When we allocated the funding, we did not want the criteria to be too tight. Obviously, the funding has to meet the needs of communities and meet clearly defined objectives. I will follow up on that matter. Regarding Deputy Short…

I know, but a 92% effectiveness against hospitalisation is an important point. It was an important piece of research that deserves to be highlighted. That is the point I am making. Also, NIAC has not recommended the mixing of vaccines. By the middle of July, we will be down to only two vaccines - Moderna and Pfizer. That is where we will be once we have completed the second dosage of AstraZeneca. NIAC's Professor Karina Butler yesterday was very clear that people should accept the vaccines that they are offered. We…

On the maternity issue, I have spoken to the chief executive officer of the HSE. The HSE runs its organisation and the CEO and his management team deal and work with the hospitals across the country in terms of the clinical guidance that has issued from the HSE. That is the proper way for it to happen. I will engage again with the HSE in respect of comments that have been made in the House today.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 to 8, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on health oversees implementation of programme for Government commitments in relation to health, receives detailed reports on identified policy areas and considers the implementation of health reforms, including Sláintecare. The Cabinet committee last met on Monday, 14 December. Since then, there have been eight meetings of the Cabinet committee on Covid-19. It is expected to meet again shortly. In addition to the meetings of the fu…