I thank the Minister. I know she is looking at a number of initiatives, including a €210 million investment programme underpinning the implementation of the digital strategy for schools, which will be tailored to allow schools to get what they need most in support to embed digital technologies in the school setting. This could be in the format of desktop PCs or tablets, and that is just how education is going. I am delighted to see how the Department is embracing all that for our schools and, more importantly, the …

Following on from the Government's announcements today I want to make a few observations. As Chair of the Oireachtas committee which deals with tourism I am mindful this will come as devastating news to the hospitality sector. Will the Minister talk us through some of the supports the Government intends to put in place for the hospitality sector? We cannot expect people to effectively police whether customers for indoor dining are vaccinated or not. I live in a Border county and I see people leaving, understandably…

I thank the Minister of State for attending to discuss this important issue, namely, the urgent need for a new building at Cavan Institute. As he will probably be aware, Cavan Institute provided a virtual tour of its impressive college in recent months. None of himself, the Minister, Deputy Harris, or their Department need to be convinced of the legitimacy of the argument for a new building. However, it has been on the Department of Education's construction list for almost a decade. Of course, we have seen the fant…

I thank the Minister of State and appreciate his very comprehensive reply. I have to make the comment and observation that modular units are a temporary measure. We can all acknowledge that. They just will not cut it in leaving Cavan Institute on a building list any longer. The modular units will house music, beauty therapy, make-up artistry, science, information technology, IT, sports, leisure, sports therapy programmes and many of the practical subjects. Urgency for a permanent building is what is required here. …

I raise the backlog in the driver theory test and driving tests, which must be dealt with as a matter of urgency. I appreciate the Government has decided to take a very safe, gradual and phased approach to reopening some driver test centres through the RSA, which commenced on 10 May. That is welcome. However, learner drivers across counties Cavan and Monaghan are becoming increasingly frustrated by the lack of progress. As things stand, only essential workers can sit the driving test and the same applies to people …

I welcome the proposals and the action that will happen, we hope, in regard to the new EU digital green certificate. The scheme should be seen in the most positive light. It gives us the opportunity to reopen the country. The Oireachtas tourism committee, of which I am Chairman, has had representatives of the tourism recovery task force, the hospitality sector and the Restaurants Association of Ireland before it, sectors that are all hugely dependent on what we can achieve through international tourism and travel. …

I congratulate the Minister of State. I do not want to underestimate the work she has done and what she has achieved in delivering this. As Fianna Fáil's Opposition spokesperson for older people, she often spoke about the unfairness of this and how it was debilitating in terms of allowing people to go forward for the fair deal scheme. Not only has she spoken about it and, as Deputy O'Dowd said, listened, but she has delivered on it in a short time in office. This change to the scheme that Fianna Fáil has long sough…

I begin by complimenting the work of our national broadcaster, RTÉ Radio 1, on its work this week to provide a platform for the women of Ireland to give personal accounts of their own stories, their personal menopausal journeys. It has been liberating to hear them open up about women's health issues and, for far too long, an issue that has been buried behind walls of fear, shame, denial, hurt and ignorance. Joe Duffy allowed these women to kick the lid off decades of silence on a topic that needs a radical shift in…

I thank the Minister of State. Her response is positive news. As the Minister of State knows, the women's health task force has identified menopause as a critical issue as it affects every woman in the country and a spectrum of supports is needed. It noted that for something with such far-reaching impacts, it is very much overlooked. Following wide consultation with women around Ireland, it has called for us to reframe that conversation to reduce stigma and to positively impact public conversation. For 2021, it has…

I begin by congratulating our colleague, the Minister for Justice, and her husband, Paul, on the birth of their new baby boy. It is wonderful news and of course she is making history. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for all the tremendous work she is doing for mental health and older people. She has hit the ground running in her Department and the areas under her remit and delivery. I can vouch for that. I think that the tenor of the previous contribution was most unfair. I would like to speak today a…

Some weeks ago, I raised with the Tánaiste the issue of the recent publication of the Hennessy report and, more important, the actioning of the recommendations from that report. As I have outlined previously, the poultry industry is of enormous importance in the constituency of Cavan-Monaghan. An outbreak of disease has serious economic implications. I understand the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine convened a meeting of the stakeholders this week. I ask the Tánaiste for an update on that or to get the Min…

I thank the Minister and the Minister of State for making sure our country is seeing a massive ramping up of the roll-out in recent days and weeks. I particularly thank the Minister for the roll-out of the community vaccine centres. I had the privilege, last night, of meeting the staff who are ensuring that happens in Cavan and Monaghan. It was a fantastic sight and I thank those staff, who are all exhausted at this stage, who took time out to show Oireachtas Members around a state-of-the-art set-up in a hotel. It …

In no way do I underestimate the overwhelming task of the Minister and the challenge of rolling out our vaccine programme across the country. I appreciate that it is a difficult challenge and he is doing his upmost. My concern is for the vulnerable housebound and I am thinking of elderly people in my constituency. I am thinking of vulnerable people in their 90s who have not received their vaccine. They are housebound and need call-outs from the ambulance service in order to get vaccinated. This has not been done in…

I too welcome this new piece of work on the right to disconnect. I have listened to the debate since the code of practice was announced. I have a question regarding the consideration that has been given to the parents of young children in particular in terms of flexible working hours. Many companies are very flexible and allow parents to leave their job to do school runs or pick children up for sports, music and so on, for example. Has that been considered in the context of this piece of work? Will those flexible w…

I thank the Minister of State for coming here for this important debate. I will begin by referring to a sentence from her opening statement, in which she stated, "I know that no malice was intended on the part of the Department." I fundamentally disagree with that line. All of us, including the Minister of State who, as has been stated is blameless in all of this, know from our constituency work that the parents who come through our doors seeking basic supports and assistance for their children, be that an educatio…

I thank the Minister for coming to the House at such a late hour to discuss this very important issue, which I appreciate. The Minister will be more than familiar with the Hennessy report. My question relates to its findings and recommendations on which the Government might act. The poultry industry is of particular importance in my constituency of Cavan-Monaghan, as it is in many places nationwide. It faces a threat at present from disease outbreaks and the associated economic implications. The outbreak in 2020, a…

I appreciate the Minister's comprehensive reply. I will get down to the nuts and bolts of the funding being sought, which is €2.5 million spread over two years. In terms of the overall 2021 agriculture budget, that might seem quite small. Therefore, I hope that when the Minister sits down with his officials, that kind of finance can be put into it. I am not overstating the matter when I say that my region, the Border region, which the Minister also represents, is very much dependent on it. There is a genuine opport…

I echo my colleague's call for support for workers and managers throughout the country. We have totally depended on them for a long number of years during which time they have done Trojan work. They deserve to be treated with respect when it comes to their pensions, like every other public servant in the country. Their input and contribution to society has been immense. For this reason, I support my colleague's call.

I thank the Minister for taking the time to do a virtual visit of Cavan Institute last week and to meet the distinguished principal, Ms Ann Marie Lacey, the staff, the chief executive of Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board, CMETB, Mr. John Kearney, and the students themselves to hear their first-hand inclusive and real-life positive experience for everyone who attends Cavan Institute despite Covid. Cavan Institute enrols in excess of 1,000 students year on year and has grown from strength to strength. I…

I commend the outstanding work of the Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, in negotiating a pathway for students to return to school on a phased basis. In working with all stakeholders, views were heard and accommodation made for all to accept the plan, with the safety and welfare of students, teachers and parents paramount. My inquiry revolves around the composite plan reached after protracted negotiations between student representatives, teacher unions and the State Examinations Comm…