Under core activities in the statement of strategy, policing reform and community safety are cited four times. This week, the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána stated that the far right is not growing. That may appear to be the case from the Commissioner's office, but to migrants it very much feels like it is growing. The Constitution protects the right of people who live in this county to conduct themselves without being harassed or intimidated. Legal protections for the right to protest do not apply if protestors…

Will the Minister outline the work undertaken by herself and the Department to support the approximately 200 people facing redundancy from the company Indeed?

It sounds as though the Department has been very active on the issue. I wonder if Indeed has been active, however. This matter affects a number of people in my constituency. The text or bumf from the company states that it will offer individual consultations to staff facing redundancy and meaningful engagement but the reports I have heard are that this has not happened, or certainly not in the way the staff require. They have come to me with questions regarding the rounding down, rather than rounding up, of years o…

I thank the Minister. It sounds like the Department is doing its piece in respect of the employees but the question is whether the company is subject to the kind of scrutiny that would ensure it is doing what it is required to do. I am not sure that is the case. All present are aware there is a natural ebb and flow of employees in the sector, and that is to be expected, but we should be fostering a sector in which employers are held to account and how they treat employees is seen as being important to the State. Ma…

Will the Minister outline the Department's plans to provide support for healthcare workers experiencing long Covid as a result of their service? What are the Minister's plans to provide a recognition of long Covid under the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005? Can I have a statement on the matter?

I thank the Minister. I am glad she brought up the principles of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 because I argue that the people we sent into our hospitals - I do not just mean nurses and doctors but healthcare assistants, cleaners, and housekeeping and catering staff - were not able to shelter in place. They were not able to stay at home and mind themselves like the rest of us. They had to go to work. Not only that, they often had to go to work with personal protective equipment that was less than approp…

Ireland has not always had the best history in dealing with post-viral illnesses, recognising them early and giving people supports. I welcome Deputy Colm Burke's comments. We have seen some countries in the EU recognise long Covid and provide social supports in respect of it. France, Italy, Denmark and Sweden have all accepted that Covid is not going away and, therefore, we will have people with long Covid for many years to come, unfortunately. I completely accept the idea that an all-of-government response is nee…

Will the Minister of State outline the timeline, completion date and cost to the State of the financial management shared services project of the National Shared Services Office?

I thank the Minister of State. To be clear, the first phase was started in April 2022 with eight bodies. In mid-2022, this House was told that phase 2 had begun, that it would include 15 bodies and that it should have been completed by the end of 2022. Will the Minister of State clarify whether we are still in phase 2? Has that begun? How far along is that phase? Have we started phase 3? We are looking to move 50 bodies by 2025, so if we are still only in phase 2, we are not even halfway. That would obviously be a …

If possible, special attention should be given to that costing because there obviously will be a projected cost. I understand that these are proprietary ICT programmes so it would be possible to know how much it is going to cost by 2025. It is a pretty medium-term range so I expect there is a number out there somewhere. I will flag for the Minister of State that a core element of the roll-out of the digital services - I am under the impression it sits under the digital scheme - and of Sláintecare is e-health record…

Can I ask the Minister of State for some clarification on that because this is obviously an issue on which I have gone back and forth quite a good deal with the Department? I have had at least seven or eight engagements with the Department on the issue in the past 18 months or so. In June 2022, we were told that legislative measures might or will be required in due course. In September 2022, when he followed this up, we were assured the legislation required for these cameras is in place and that no further legislat…

It is very useful and good to know that there is a working group in place and that progress is being made. Could we get some more information around that working group, because one of the issues which arose in the Committee of Public Accounts is the fact that, like so much in transport, it falls between a number of agencies? Am I to take it the NTA is the lead point and will provide the leadership on this? The Minister of State mentioned that this working group report might come through in the third quarter. Will w…

I have one very clear and concise request for the Department tonight. It is that every maternity unit in the country publish its risk assessments each month or whenever a new assessment is completed so that people accessing the services can understand why they are still not allowed to receive supports from their partners in some hospitals. During the pandemic, partners were banned from appointments in order to curtail the spread of Covid-19 in clinical settings. We all understood that but the reality is that even n…

I thank the Minister of State. I know she fully understands the issue. I am sure she also hears constituents or people around the country raise it every so often. This issue only seems to be raising its head in some maternity units. It does not apply in all hospitals. To be honest, part of the problem may be that it is not a nationwide standard. I fully accept that every unit is different. We are very aware that the infrastructure in the health service is not always what we want it to be. We are dealing with older …

In some ways, the matter I want to talk about - the ongoing issue of long Covid and how it affects healthcare workers - is related to the pressure that we see in emergency departments and hospitals because it speaks to the staffing issue we are experiencing in the health service. By "healthcare workers", I do not just mean nurses and doctors. I also mean healthcare assistants, cleaners, housekeeping staff, catering staff, porters and every person who was expected to go to work when we were all told to stay at home,…

As the Minister of State can see, the State has already recognised that healthcare workers were at higher risk through the creation of the temporary 12-month scheme and that therefore they must be treated in a certain way. I am sure the Minister of State is aware that when people are put on standard sick pay, it essentially means they are on a pathway to medical retirement. We are talking about people who are in their 30s, 40s and 50s. Not only do they have financial burdens such as kids in school and all the rest …

I join with colleagues in offering my comhghairdeas to the Minister of State on her appointment. I welcome the legislation, which is far-reaching and significant. It upholds the commitment in the programme for Government to examine this sector. In particular, broadening financial services and the foothold credit unions have in our financial services sector will be meaningful. I am particularly heartened by a focus on governance, considering governance structures, and that strategic planning piece. It is very worthw…

As the Tánaiste may be aware, the support scheme for free Irish Sign Language, ISL, interpretation for events and services is provided for in the Irish Sign Language Act 2017, although many sections of the Act have yet to be implemented. Half of the public bodies included in a report this year were either not aware of the Act or their responsibilities under the Act. This support scheme combats extreme marginalisation facing the deaf community. It is vital that we allow the deaf community the same access. Could we g…

I very warmly welcome the establishment of the Citizens' Assembly on Drugs Use and the good work of the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, and the former Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, on pushing forward with it. When we first got it into the programme for Government we viewed it as a way to allow the complexity of the drugs debate to be on the table but not under the consistent pressure of political debate. We saw it as allowing the conversation to happen and be based on evidence and experience. I am very hop…

I would like to follow up on some issues raised in previous contributions about the operation of Coillte and use my time to focus on the underlying issue of our State approach to forestry over the past few decades and on the legislation that we have in place, which supports it and which has formed Coillte. We know that forestry can be a viable and important commercial sector but we also now know that our forests are a vital source of climate mitigation for this country. Any State or semi-State body that fails to op…