That is the bedrock upon which constitutional democracy in our State should function and while there are issues we will debate over time, to stand over here, to contest there is behaviour under way where the Ceann Comhairle has not been impartial-----

-----does a disservice to the traditions that have served this State well.

I thank the Deputy very much for raising this very important matter. I am very conscious that before this report was made available, many families had very deep worries about surgeries their beloved children had undergone. They were raising questions about the need for and impact of these surgeries. They will at least have questioned their trust in our health service and health professionals. As the Deputy raises this very important issue, I am also conscious that our nurses, doctors and consultants work very hard …

The Deputy does not need to remind us of the impact this can have on families and those who have been affected by the issues now being raised. We know how important it is to maintain trust in our health services particularly for our very youngest who could be dealing with complex health needs. There is a need to ensure they trust those whose care and expertise they depend on. It is equally important in dealing with all of this is that we assemble the facts in a clear and authoritative way and that we are in a posit…

I thank the Deputy for, ultimately, during this week raising a serious economic challenge that confronts this country. I note he raised it in a very political context so let me respond first on that before I deal with the substantive issue regarding the threat and difficulty our country could face and our response. I have in front of me the alternative budget of the Social Democrats. I attempted to see what reference or recognition the Social Democrats gave to jobs and the competitiveness of our economy. I looked a…

I stood up and was willing to defend my record. I notice the Deputy was not willing to do the same in his points to me. That is very clear.

The Government laid out last week our analysis of what the impact could be on our economy. On many occasions, both in the Dáil and elsewhere, we have outlined three priorities. Our first priority is how we engage with the United States of America and we acknowledge - as does Deputy O'Callaghan, in honesty - the difficulty of that engagement. Second, what we have made very clear is that engagement is now under way between Ireland and our partners within the European Union on what an appropriate response could be. Th…

I answered the Deputy's question very clearly regarding what we would do.

I welcome the Social Democrats finally recognising the value of an enterprise economy.

I hope I get this right; I think the Deputy referred to Michael and Neil in his question. I am very conscious that they are very young children who are very special to their families and communities and who need additional help in getting the start they need in life. All of us, whether in government or in opposition, are aware of those within the communities that we are lucky enough to serve who have young children who need better support as they begin a journey in life in which they will face more challenges and i…

The opening line of the Deputy's answer was glib and does little justice to the importance of this issue. I stood up and gave the Deputy the best answer that I can-----

-----to the two questions that he put to me.

He asked me two questions.

He asked me a question in relation to prosecution and I answered that question. He asked me a question about what we are doing in relation to schools and therapists.

Again, I answered that question.

If the status of an individual school mattered enough to the Deputy, he would have let me know about that individual school before I came into this Chamber. Deputy Healy knows that I cannot be aware of the status of every school in this country.

If it mattered to him in the way he suggests it does-----

-----he would have let me know so that I could have, for both Michael and Neil, given them the justice of the answer they deserve.

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important matter. He probably knows better than I do that there are challenges in regard to the emissions from private transport. This is one of the really big issues we have in ensuring our country can move closer to the climate commitments we have to each other, not to mention those enshrined in law. Public transport and its greater availability will play a big part in that but the question of how we can change how private transport is used and how car journeys can be made…

The Deputy's point about home charging is important. Another really important feature of home charging is convenience and certainty. If people know they can charge their car at home before beginning a journey, that will give them the confidence that is needed. There must be confidence that a charging network is in place if we are to facilitate a change in how cars are used. There are lots of other issues in regard to the use of EVs, including their costs. We have had debates regarding the supports the State makes a…