First, the pandemic unemployment payment has represented an unprecedented intervention and support by the State in the personal incomes of those who have suffered and have borne the brunt of the pandemic in losing their jobs. Those payments will continue, at a very minimum, until the end of June. In between, various sectors will return in accordance with the Government's roadmap. For example, on 10 May, click and collect services will return for retail which will be fully restored on 17 May. All of the construction…

Is the Deputy referring to rehabilitation more generally or is it specific rehabilitation?

Is this in the area of addiction, physical rehabilitation or-----

Addiction services. I certainly was not aware of 109 beds being lost in the wider service. I will have to examine the figure presented by the Deputy. I do not believe any Minister stated there was nothing he or she could do about it because there is a general policy in relation to addiction services. As the Deputy is aware, the HSE historically has been negative towards institutionalisation of addiction more generally. I will follow this up and revert to the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy for his comments. The fact that the Kildare County Council and two approved housing bodies were outbid is certainly very damaging or bad news as well. I have spoken to the Ministers for Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform and Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Collectively, we will examine this issue because it is unacceptable and runs counter to Government policy which is to give priority to first-time buyers. The framework around the utilisation of these funds is to add supply, not to d…

I thank the Deputy for raising what is a very important issue. I was very taken aback by the illustration on social media of the incident to which he referred involving a woman being pushed onto the tracks in a shocking manner which endangered her life. In addition, we learn of continuing assaults on individuals going about their routine daily lives and also an increased degree of attacks with racism as an underlying feature. The Deputy instanced one such case. There have been others. In consultation with An Garda …

I have been in regular contact with Ava's mother, Vera, for quite a long time now and have been very supportive in the various stages of the campaign, including, in the first instance, securing Bedrocan for Ava via the Dutch authorities. I have gone the hard miles on this one and I do not really need any hashtag sort of momentum to push me in any direction on this. I have been supportive from the get-go and I have worked with the Department of Health and successive Ministers for Health in respect of this issue, sec…

First of all, there are two issues here. The primary medical certificate, PMC, assessments fell behind as a result of Covid but the assessment process resumed on 1 January 2021. There are still some delays in the processing of assessments due to the involvement of medical officers in the national Covid-19 response as well as the ongoing public restrictions and those delays are causing undue strain on applicants. However, the HSE has confirmed that the assessment process for PMCs has resumed and data from the HSE sh…

As I said earlier, I agree with the Deputy. I will continue to engage with the HSE on this. These are clinical decisions that have been taken from the outset of the pandemic but, given the success to date within the hospital environment in suppressing the virus and the success of the vaccination programme, greater facility should now exist for expectant mothers to be accompanied by their partners to scans and throughout the journey. Even if PCR testing needs to be used, the capacity exists for that.

Government has been supportive of the hospice movement, particularly in recent months, and has provided substantial funding to underpin the hospices, given the huge challenges they have faced in terms of various fundraising projects being undermined by Covid-19. I am not aware of the specifics of this case but we will engage with the HSE. I have no doubt we will do everything we can to enhance the service, notwithstanding the challenges it is going through. In respect of children with chronic pain, I will engage wi…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 to 6, inclusive, together. The Cabinet committee on the environment and climate change last met on 1 April 2021 and is scheduled to meet again on 10 May 2021. It is chaired by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Eamon Ryan. The committee oversees the implementation of the ambitious programme for Government commitments on the environment and climate change. These commitments are reflected in the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development (Amendment) …

On the midlands, I understand the Deputy's point on the just transition being designed to provide alternative employment for people in localities that have suffered as a result of the country endeavouring to reach its climate change targets and the closure of certain generating facilities and other activity as a consequence. There is a need to reinvest, particularly in the midlands. I do not have the specifics of the case - Deputy Barry Cowen has raised it also - of a person losing a contract for a good enterprise.…

-----which will give a more coherent planning legislative process and mechanisms that will both protect biodiversity and the environment but also enable-----

-----opportunities such as the development based on offshore wind, for example, which is an important part of our renewable strategies. On the wider issue, Coilte and Bord na Móna are two important State agencies along with the ESB in meeting our climate change agenda.

They will stay as State enterprises. They are not being privatised. Their privatisation is not on the agenda at all. That equally applies to Deputy Barry.

To Deputy Tóibín, looking at the planning framework in Ireland, there is no evidence that citizens lack any capacity to take on big projects. Individuals object to a whole range of projects. There is a balance here. I will engage with the Deputy further on the points he has raised.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 7 to 10, inclusive, together. The Government co-ordination committee generally meets in advance of Government meetings to: 1. review the activity of Cabinet committees; 2. review the agenda for that week's Government meeting; 3. discuss political priorities; and 4. review implementation of a specified element of the programme for Government. I am a member of the committee with the Tánaiste and leader of the Green Party and the Secretary General to the Government, my chief of staff a…

On the key question on Moore Street, raised by Deputies McDonald and Tóibín, there has been a lot of discussion between political parties in this House and various groupings over the past five or six years. My understanding was that a consensus had been arrived at between the various parties and members of parties. Prior to that, the State had intervened and purchased the key properties and declared them to be a national monument. That was proactive intervention by the State, which has not been acknowledged by Depu…

It is not. I am only ten months in office now.

I am ten months in office. I do not keep on-----