Can the Taoiseach confirm that the Government will meet the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and SIPTU this week to discuss issues relating to aviation? Can he confirm that the issue of the planned lay-off of hundreds of workers in Cork in September is on the agenda? Does he agree that Aer Lingus and other airport employers should not receive bucketloads of State cash to keep workers on the payroll and, at the same time, plan to take hundreds of workers in Cork off the payroll in September? These workers must be kept…

Did you discuss the people working on the boats?

Those who experience gender-based violence, mainly women, should get a big helping hand but instead the State stacks the odds against them. If you have rung 999 in recent years, the Garda might have cancelled your call and ignored your plea for help. If you try to leave the family home, you are confronted by a housing crisis and a shortage of refuge places. If you try to achieve financial independence, you are hemmed in by low pay and childcare costs. The society of the mother and baby homes and of the Magdalen lau…

It has become fashionable in recent times for opponents of a rent freeze to say we should a look at what happened when they tried to freeze rents in Berlin. I am going to do precisely that. Under the old neoliberal market status quo before the rent freeze in Berlin, rent had increased by 100% in the period 2009 to 2019. Under pressure from below, from a mass movement of tenants, the Berlin municipal government in early 2020 froze rents for a period of five years at mid-2019 prices. From November 2020, rents still a…

Last night's "RTÉ Investigates" provided shocking insights into the treatment of elderly citizens in some of our nursing homes during the pandemic. I again support, loudly and clearly, the call for a national inquiry into nursing home care and nursing home deaths in the time of Covid. The case for that is now unanswerable. I will address the issue of the vaccination of people aged over 18. They are to get the one-shot Janssen vaccine in pharmacies. This process will start on Monday. I will start by appealing to you…

Will the Minister consider a review of the structure of the leaving certificate examinations to look at the longer-term changes that can be made to lessen the stress of the examinations?

I will focus on yesterday's announcement. There is to be additional choice for the students regarding leaving certificate 2022, there is to be additional time for leaving certificate students in 2022 and the choice and additional time take account of the time lost. I wish to underline the serious amount of time lost as a result of the pandemic last year, which comprised January, February, March and part of April. Those students lost more than three months of direct teaching time. There is also the possibility of co…

Regarding the next school year, when will the Covid-19 cleaning supports for schools be announced? It is now July and schools are reopening in August. They have less than two months and need to plan ahead. Will they have these cleaning supports again next year and to what extent will they have them? Last year, they found out at the last minute. There was a lot of pressure and stress. The pressure and stress would be relieved if it could be announced sooner rather than later that schools will get Covid-19 cleaning s…

Cork Airport is due to close for ten weeks for essential runway repairs between 12 September and 22 November. Having kept workers on the payroll throughout 16 months of the pandemic, Aer Lingus has announced plans to temporarily lay off 200 workers for the duration of the repair work. Other airport employers may take similar actions. The workers are opposed to this plan. They want to be kept on the company books and I support them in this aim. This issue is already prominent in Cork. If left unresolved for much lon…

I want to say a word about Shannon. Today, 1 July, is when the official closure and associated redundancies kick in. Within Aer Lingus nationally, workers are facing the threat of a five-year pay freeze, pay cuts, cuts to starting rates, deep cuts to the sick pay scheme and to duty allowances, and so on. This is clearly a reason for workers not wanting to be taken off the books. The company cannot legally change the terms and conditions while they are off the books but it can use the fact that workers are off the b…

No, I am sharing time with Deputy Boyd Barrett for Solidarity-People Before Profit.

It is my turn to speak.

Yes, it is. Our office communicated with the Ceann Comhairle's office to the effect that I was to share time in this slot with Deputy Boyd Barrett. The House has agreed that speakers can share time.

I will if I am the next speaker.

Yes, I am the next speaker.

The Ceann Comhairle's office agreed with our office that we could share time in this slot. I would be halfway through my speech by now-----

I will be the next speaker.

Deputy Boyd Barrett spoke as part of a Solidarity-People Before Profit slot. It is a shared slot with me.

I was here in time for my speaking spot. In fact, I am 20 minutes ahead of it.

I have five minutes of points that I wish to make.