I will engage with the Minister for Education and talk to her on this specific issue. I do not have the details before me. The Government has made it an absolute priority to keep schools open. It is not only a Government issue; it is a societal issue and priority. It reflects well on Ireland that in the middle of a global pandemic we accept that the learning opportunities for children are our number one priority. This has posed challenges, not least on the supply side. We knew that in advance of September. That is …

I have already signalled our concerns at European level in respect of the Mercosur deal and its compatibility with the climate change objectives of the European Union. Indeed, at the forthcoming summit next week I will be raising this in the context of discussions on climate change. There is a real issue about how Mercosur reconciles with the climate change agenda given the Brazilian Government's policy approach to the Amazon and to the wholesale destruction of the Amazon that is clearly under way. I do not believe…

Yes, we will have a look at that again. These are good and important programmes, and we want to expand participation in them. I do not, therefore, believe that the money will run out in June 2021.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 2 together. Last Friday, the Government agreed the approach for easing restrictions, including a phased move to level 3 nationally, with several exemptions in place for the Christmas period. These exemptions are designed to support people in having a meaningful Christmas, albeit different from other years. The main objective is to stay safe and to keep the Covid-19 case numbers down so that we can maintain the lowest possible level of restrictions into the new year. People are…

I will address question on the tourism sector first. Deputy Kelly correctly identified that the area will need a significant reboot after Covid-19. In the interim we are doing everything we possibly can to keep the edifice of our tourism sector intact through the variety of schemes we have introduced, including the employment wage subsidy scheme, the Covid restrictions support scheme, the pandemic unemployment payment and a variety of other restart grants, low-cost loans and commercial rates waivers. There has been…

I propose to take questions Nos. 3 to 7, inclusive, together. Matters relating to international policy and foreign affairs are discussed by the full Cabinet as and when appropriate, mostly on foot of memoranda to Government brought by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I also engage bilaterally with the Minister on such matters, as appropriate. International matters also arise in the context of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy and other external policies of the European Union. When appropriate these are inc…

Deputy Kelly is correct about the difficulty of visiting and recognising our Army, which has done some fantastic work in the Golan Heights and elsewhere across the world and continues to do so, because of Covid-19. We will do everything we can to show our Defence Forces again that we recognise the contribution they are making to international peace. The European Union has moved on Belarus. We have condemned the ongoing mass and indiscriminate detentions, including of children, and the threats made by the authoritie…

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 to 10, inclusive, together. In accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Management Act 1997, my Department is currently developing its new statement of strategy for the next three years. The strategy will reflect the role of my Department to deliver the executive functions of the Taoiseach and Government and to support me as Head of Government to carry out my duties and implement the Government’s priorities over the coming period. My Department engages with the formula…

The Government will publish a national economic plan that will deal the broader issues on the economic landscape. Housing will be a key part of it, particularly the provision of sustainable sources of social and affordable housing. In response to Deputy Kelly's question, I note that there will be key developments in the areas of digital transformation and the green economy. Those are two areas where opportunities will present themselves in the future. The land development agency Bill 2019 is important from a housin…

Tá áthas orm labhairt leis an Dáil maidir leis an gcruinniú den Chomhairle Eorpach a bheidh ar siúl Déardaoin agus Dé hAoine an seachtain seo chugainn. The agenda at the European Council meeting on Thursday, 10 December and Friday, 11 December has yet to be finalised, but is expected to include Covid-19, Brexit, climate change, security and counterterrorism and external relations, particularly with Turkey, the southern neighbourhood and the US. In addition, it seems likely that we will discuss the multi-annual fina…

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue this afternoon. It is deeply disappointing and very annoying that the British Government has not committed to holding a proper public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane. I know the disappointment is keenly and painfully felt by the Finucane family, by Geraldine, the late Pat Finucane's wife, and his sons and daughter. I utterly concur with the Deputy's remarks. The decision was arrogant and cruel. The references to a potential PSNI review or the Police Ombudsman for No…

I think that, collectively, we as an Oireachtas can with one voice articulate to the British Government again the view that a full public inquiry should be held. We can continue to work at both European and international level and with international opinion. We have support in the United States from people such as Richie Neal and others, and we can of course enlist the engagement of the President-elect, Joe Biden. Fundamentally, however, it is really in terms of the relationship between Britain and Ireland that thi…

I thank the Deputy for his question. The Government is absolutely and wholly committed to the timely implementation of a Covid-19 immunisation programme once the vaccines are approved for use, particularly the vaccines that are in the European Union portfolio. In this regard, I have established a cross-Government high-level task force to oversee the development and implementation of a programme for the roll-out of vaccines. As the Deputy is aware, that is being chaired by Brian MacCraith of Dublin City University. …

I thank the Deputy and I appreciate the point he is making. I established the task force for a reason, namely, to bring a varied range of disciplines, both public sector and private sector, to the table to deal with the various work streams that will be required to deliver the vaccine. There is a work stream currently operating in regard to information technology, for example, because IT will be key to this in terms of recording and so on. There is also the issue of manpower and the administration of the vaccine. G…

The Government, ultimately, has to deliver this.

The Deputy raised a number of issues. The current epidemiological status is relatively good from a European perspective. We now have the lowest 14-day incidence rate in the 27 European Union member states at 89 per 100,000 people. That is a result of the people of Ireland working with level 5 over six weeks. The people deserve considerable credit for adhering to the guidelines. It is interesting that in the most recent survey of the Central Statistics Office, CSO, more than 73% of people felt that the level 5 restr…

There is an issue around antigen and rapid testing. The European Commission has reported on that and the HSE is looking at that in the context of specific settings such as the healthcare settings the Deputy identified.

The Minister is looking at that as a matter of urgency.

As a country, we are particularly dependent on international travel connectivity, but the numbers travelling have dropped significantly on an annual basis. I think it is down 96% or 97% annually. We know from the airports how desolate they are. That said, we are conscious coming into the Christmas period that we need to be particularly vigilant. As a Government, we decided on the framework for international travel in the context of Covid-19 in line with the European Union traffic light system, which will involve Co…

The Deputy is wrong in his various assertions. In the first instance, I do not believe in the Deputy's zero Covid approach. It is not viable in terms of our membership of the European Union, our relationship with the United Kingdom and the seamless interaction of people. We also have the Border between North and South and the fact we are not in charge of the jurisdiction public health wise in Northern Ireland. We have seen the overlap and impact there in terms of Covid-19. The bottom line is that in tackling the se…