I thank the Deputy for raising such an important matter for our island. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has commented on the announcement Deputy Richmond has raised. The Government and all Deputies in this House will continue to be very clear about the sanctity of the Good Friday Agreement and the need for it to be protected in all aspects. The Government and the European Union have been very clear about what will not happen on the Border and what will not happen for those who are moving to and from Northern Irela…

In general, the Deputy makes a very important point that in spending money on preventing further health difficulties, every cent of it is always well spent. I am sure the Minister for Health is aware of the issue the Deputy raised and I am sure a meeting can be set up, if not with the Minister then his senior officials, to respond to the group that is raising this important matter. I will talk to the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, about it.

It is not a matter of the Government putting pressure on the HSE. The HSE will be well aware of the importance of dental care and, in particular, the importance of young girls and boys getting the help and support they need early in life to look after their teeth and their dental needs. I will follow up to see why no further engagement is planned, as the Deputy has just suggested. I understood engagement and work were under way on this issue, and I will raise it with the Minister for Health.

The Deputy's support of, and work for, Shannon Airport and the Shannon Group are well known to me and to all in the Shannon Group and in the airport. Like the Deputy, I acknowledge the massive progress the airport has made after a very difficult 2020 and 2021, with services and transatlantic access very positive news. Of course, for any group to lose a person of the calibre of Mr. Ó Céidigh is a regret. It is a pity he is not going to be in a position to continue with that work on behalf of the Shannon Group. I und…

I should have acknowledged Senator Fitzpatrick also. I know she has been inspired by the service her late father gave. We cannot but be moved when we spend time with those arriving to our country and fleeing their homes. We cannot but be moved by all they have gone through and be reminded of the commitments we will have to them in future. With regard to the particular point made by the Deputy on how we could support those who were teachers in Ukraine and bring them back to their vocation here in Ireland and help th…

I am not aware of the Government's commitment to the A5 project being in any way diminished or changed. I will of course follow up on any development that may have prompted the Deputy's question. I am aware as a former Minister with responsibility for transport of the particular status of the road and how important it is to the communities the Deputy has referred to. I am sure some of the Deputy's colleagues are probably lambasting the Minister, Deputy Ryan, for not delivering the so-called "pet projects" more quic…

I need hardly tell the Deputy there is no silver lining in this awful cloud and the dark skies we are all confronting together. The Deputy's point and question is a reminder of the skills and expertise that will be coming to our country with people leaving their homes for reasons we all know are appalling and have to be condemned at every moment. I am also well aware of the need that we have for trained pharmacists and how important they are for our health services, particularly outside of our cities. I cannot give…

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The review is reasonably well advanced. In a few months' time we will organise a public stakeholder event to which we will invite all who have views regarding the development of our banking sector, whether it be the digital providers to which the Deputy has referred or, for example, Sparkassen and the community banking needs that have been debated for so long. We will invite them all to a public event and seminar to hear their views and integrate them into the work we are…

I thank Deputies Durkan and Smith for raising these issues. I know Deputy Smith is raising this matter for all the right reasons but equally she knows I cannot give an update on the status of any individual deportation issue or anybody whose status is being considered in our country at present. I am sure the Department of Justice is aware of the issue she is raising given the protest she referenced. I will also make sure the Minister for Justice is aware the Deputy has raised this issue with me and we will see if w…

I want to open by acknowledging the great challenges many are facing at present due to the rising cost of energy and to the change in the price of gas, oil, coal and diesel, primarily due to the impact of the war taking place in Ukraine. After the terrible difficulties of the past number of years due to Covid and with all of the challenges imposed on so many, and hoping that was beyond us, I absolutely understand why to be confronted by bills that have gone up so much in recent weeks is a cause of concern to so man…

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time". The Bill provides a legislative basis for a number of changes to the main Covid supports that have been announced by the Government and are being implemented by the Revenue Commissioners at the moment on an administrative basis. I am using the opportunity of the Bill to include a number of other financial items that require legislative solutions. One of these is to ensure the pandemic special recognition payment of €1,000 to be paid for or on behalf of the Minister…

I will comment on some of the issues raised by Deputies relating to the employment wage subsidy scheme, the pandemic special recognition payment and the emergency support schemes we had in place. I welcome the recognition by many Deputies that the support schemes played an invaluable role in protecting our economy as we grappled with the darkest moments of the pandemic. The employment wage subsidy scheme, the Covid restrictions support scheme and various other schemes such as the debt tax warehousing scheme, which …

I move: (1) THAT for the purposes of the tax charged by virtue of section 95 of the Finance Act 1999 (No. 2 of 1999), that Act be amended, with effect as on and from 10 March 2022, by substituting the following for Schedule 2 to that Act (as amended by section 42 of the Finance Act 2021 (No. 45 of 2021)): (2) IT is hereby declared that it is expedient in the public interest that this Resolution shall have statutory effect under the provisions of the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act 1927 (No. 7 of 1927). Before I…

I thank all the Deputies for the contributions they have made to this very important debate. I reiterate my appreciation of the great challenges that many people are facing at the moment as we see the rising cost of energy and fuel. That is why the Government has brought forward measures to aim to provide assistance to those who need it the most, accompanied by the rebate for energy bills that will be coming forward in the coming weeks. I have listened to the Rural Independent Group this morning and the proposals i…

How much do your measures cost?

The Parliamentary Budget Office is available to you. I will repeat the question. How much do your proposals cost?

The Rural Independent Group does not know the answer to the question.

It is bringing forward a proposal for a mini-budget without any understanding of the cost involved in that mini-budget.

They are bringing forward these ideas with no concept or acknowledgement with regard to the cost of them.

When I made my opening statement, I did so anchored in an appreciation of the challenges that many people face. What we have in front of us are proposals brought forward by a group with no sense or reference as to the cost of those proposals. Let me inform the Dáil of roughly what that cost would be.