Regarding the Government and its formation, when we published the programme for Government we attached a document on the functioning of Government. I emphasise again that three parties came together. My overall objective is to ensure the three parties work seamlessly and in co-operation in getting the work of the nation done, and I take that very seriously. My ego is not going to get in the way of doing the right thing. We agreed we would share the chairing of various Cabinet committees. I am keen to have Cabinet c…

It is, because this is a significant expenditure stimulus of the economy. I refer to the projects that will be identified and prioritised, the key as well being the pandemic unemployment payment and the wage subsidy on which the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, has ideas. I will not give Deputy Kelly the final quantum today because that will be announced on the day and work is still under way. There will be a further Cabinet committee meeting tomorrow evening, specifically in respect of the July stimulus. Various ideas an…

They do not have the Chairs. We chair it.

It is not clumsy at all; I think it will work as a structure. Having been in previous Governments, I know that co-ordination is key. In coalition Governments - this is a three-party Government - where one has regular engagement, particularly between the three leaders and also to avoid issues that may be disruptive or may cause difficulties, it will require hard work but that is needed to maintain cohesion. The Cabinet co-ordination committee is a good idea. It does not only comprise the three leaders. It involves t…

It is my understanding that it is in the functioning document.

Anything can change over time.

The committee has not been convened to deal with any one issue, including the situation pertaining to the Minister, Deputy Cowen. It will meet in advance of every Cabinet meeting to discuss the Cabinet agenda, including legislation which may be on the agenda on which agreement may not yet have been arrived. Ordinarily, agreement will have been arrived at. Someone may say his party wants to consider an issue further or to push a memorandum back by a week pending resolution of some issue which has arisen. That is the…

I wish to announce for the information of the Dáil that the President, on my advice, this evening terminated the appointment of Deputy Barry Cowen as a member of the Government. Pursuant to section 4(1) of the Ministers and Secretaries (Amendment) Act 1946, I have assigned the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to myself. I will propose the appointment of a new member of the Government tomorrow, if the House can facilitate it. This is a very sad day for Barry, his family and me. He has been a committed …

I thank the Deputy for raising the issue and the question in regard to the Debenhams workers. My response yesterday was not lacklustre and it was not equivocal in terms of how Debenhams has treated its workers in Ireland. It has treated them very badly and very poorly. The State will do everything it can to support the workers who have been made redundant by the company in the manner described by the Deputy. The programme for Government outlines the necessity to review legislation, particularly in terms of its util…

I think the Deputy was very disingenuous and dishonest in her presentation. I was not in government in 2015 and I have not been in government over the past number of years. We have been in government for one week. That is the reality, unlike the great political untruth and mantra that the Deputy and her party have been peddling for quite some time. It is disingenuous and it does a disservice to the issue. It does not help anybody to make these kinds of disingenuous political attacks on other political parties. It m…

It is in the programme for Government that there is a commitment to legislating-----

-----in respect of the separation of property from trading entities that is being used. The Tánaiste and Minister will be examining that legislation. That will happen but it is not going to deal with the Debenhams workers' plight, and the Deputy knows that.

It is important that when we are dealing with workers who have gone through a traumatic situation, it is not to try to raise expectations unrealistically and blame everybody else when it is the company that is fundamentally at fault in its behaviour towards the workers.

It was not the previous Government's fault and it is not this Government's fault, but what the Government certainly can do is look at the legislation in dealing with it.

I thank the Deputy for his question and presentation. I agree with him, particularly on the contribution that front-line health service staff and those in the background have made to the fight against Covid-19, effectively contributing to the suppression of the virus for now and to a very low level of community transmission. I also share the Deputy's admiration for the work of Dr. Tony Holohan, the Chief Medical Officer, and the calm leadership he gave. We all wish him the very best at this time, as we do to the pr…

Portiuncula Hospital has had a net reduction of about eight beds because, as the Deputy said, of the impact of Covid-19 and the desire to prevent the spread of the virus throughout the hospital, and to have sufficient isolation facilities for suspected cases and any particular case the hospital has of a patient with Covid. The Deputy is correct that the number of presentations at emergency departments is back more or less to where it was prior to Covid. It has been steadily increasing in all acute hospitals. That p…

I thank the Deputy for raising what is a serious issue, namely, mental health services in general, but specifically mental health services in Clonmel and the rest of Tipperary. There are two dimensions to mental health services. One is obviously physical facilities. I refer to acute capacity — in other words, acute beds — in particular facilities. The south east in general, including Tipperary, has been short of acute capacity in mental health services for quite some time. The other aspect is securing the necessary…

First, I do have the will to deal with this issue. Second, as I said, the Minister of State will work with the Deputy on this. Every region needs acute capacity but the Deputy should not underestimate the importance of strong community-based mental health services. In my view, a continuum is needed. The better and the stronger the community health presence, the less the need for acute admissions. I recall meeting the services in Monaghan a long time ago. At that stage, Monaghan was one of the leaders in developing …

I thank the Deputy for raising the matter. I will certainly do what I can to find out what is going on with those 12 children, particularly the 17-year-old young woman referred to by her. I remember the campaign and the major commitment made by the families involved. There is an ongoing issue with orphan drugs, or drugs that are developed for what are classed as small populations in particular disease categories. I do not know why 12 children remain to be treated right now but I will follow up on the matter and see…

Every day matters to the people concerned and I will certainly do that. I appreciate the Deputy raising the matter.