He is bringing forward a proposal. How much would it cost?

We are in a very different world to where we were in 2016.

The Deputy is bringing forward a proposal. He does not even know the cost of it.

He does not know the cost.

Deputy, just because I do not shout does not mean I do not care.

What we have is a Government that continues to bring forward measures that-----

-----we believe can help and make a difference. Unlike the Deputy, we have to know the cost of what we are doing and we have to be confident we can afford it.

We have to be able to be confident we can sustain it while these pressures are building.

I want to begin by acknowledging all the work that is under way in hospitals at the moment - from nurses, doctors, consultants and all who support them in their efforts as they battle again with the impact of this disease and with all the healthcare needs that so many people have had for so long, particularly elderly citizens. We recognise how challenging this is for those who need care, but that is why the Government has done a number of things. First, it is why since 2018 the amount of funding we have put into th…

-----800 new beds are now open, with a further 300 acute beds due to open.

Some 22.9 million hours of home care are being made available to help with those-----

-----who are going to our hospitals at the moment to give them care elsewhere.

A Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I am answering-----

I thank Deputy Cairns very much for raising this issue. I am aware how important the issue of access is for the constituents the Deputy represents. I will contact the Minister for Transport, Deputy Eamon Ryan, who is involved with this issue to see if any further help can be given. I know that his Department is aware of this and is trying to help. Equally, however, I know that some of the proposals that had been brought forward by it and the actions so far have not had the effect the Deputy wants. I will raise the …

I genuinely acknowledge the interest of Deputy Boyd Barrett in raising matters on the taxi sector for so long, particularly during the pandemic, and I know that it has had a very hard time. I cannot give the Deputy the commitment he is looking for. The reason we brought in the particular measure referred to was because of the impact that would have resulted from the haulage sector not being able to move goods around the country. The Minister for Transport will look at whether other measures are possible to help tha…

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I thank the Deputy very much for raising this matter. Much of the material that was used in the “RTÉ Investigates” programme last night is made available through the Local Government Audit Service. Some of the issues covered last night were based on findings that have come out from the audits of local government. To answer the Deputy’s question on how transparency in general is being delivered, this happens through the very audits which revealed some of the cases that were covered last night. I assure the Deputy th…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. We are well aware of the impact that the increasing number of Covid cases is having on hospitals that were already extremely busy. We are also aware of the impact the virus is having on the health of many at the moment. At all times in the Government's response to the huge challenge of the pandemic we were guided by public health advice. We were always informed by the input we received from public health experts. As Deputies know, the Government still reserved its right t…

While I am on my feet, I extend to the Deputy and all her colleagues in Fianna Fáil condolences on the passing of Dr. Dermot Fitzpatrick, an avuncular gentleman and an exemplary public servant. I know his loss will be felt among his colleagues in Fianna Fáil.

On the issue relating to passports, God knows, a holiday is a very precious thing at present. We really know the value of being able to leave the country and travel elsewhere now. For constituents to find themselves unable to do it at the last moment due to a passport difficulty, we all know and are dealing with the difficulties that creates. The Minister for Foreign Affairs is doing all he can to put additional staff in place to respond to the issues the Deputy has raised and to look at how we can make more effici…