In 2017 I wrote to the then Taoiseach asking for a Mulvey-style report to respond to community concerns in Ballymun around open drug dealing. While he declined and suggested this be done at local authority level, we went ahead and, as Ardmhéara Bhaile Átha Cliath, I commissioned a report which was recently circulated at the joint policing committee. I understand the Taoiseach has not yet received the report but I ask that when he does, he considers it fully and that the Government and agencies do likewise, and that…

I have listened carefully to what the Minister has said. Unfortunately, I missed the beginning of the debate because I have come directly from one of the new walk-in test centres in Finglas. Before it opened at 11 a.m., there was already a queue of people waiting. Yesterday, we received briefings from suppliers of antigen tests as to the availability of such tests. With regard to both walk-in test centres and antigen testing, I believe that frequent testing will be a key part of how we move forward in a vaccinated …

I am on the list to ask questions on promised legislation, but I do not wish to come in on this issue.

I will begin with the point on which Deputy Hourigan finished. This is a test for us. Nothing in what I say is addressed to the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, or the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, who are present. Rather, my remarks are addressed to those who decided to take the actions that have been uncovered. It is important to note that we only have the claims of a whistleblower before us, but we need to believe those claims and to put in place the mechanism to investigate them. I understand we will do so. I h…

The Acting Chairman might remind me of the time available to me.

I have been at a committee meeting so I apologise if I ask the Minister questions that have been asked. First, I raise the issue of the non-referral test centres. They are a very important step forward, particularly for those people in education about whom we all have many concerns. As of 11 o'clock this morning, any teacher, pupil or parent in our area who has a concern and needs to access a test can do so. That is a very welcome step for education, if not for the wider monitoring of the virus. Second, I hope the …

Can I raise a point of order, please, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle? I apologise for interrupting. There may have been an error yesterday, in that the Leas-Cheann Comhairle mistook Deputy Richmond for myself in the queue.

I agree with the Deputy. Deputy Andrews will confirm that it was in fact myself that stood between him and Deputy Gould.

I would have Deputy Richmond out canvassing for me but I do not think we would be compatible. The programme for Government refers to investing in our communities. We have seen how community has been such an important part of the response to the Covid pandemic. One group of workers have led our communities for many years and they are community employment, CE, supervisors. The Government has done much work in recent months to try to find a solution to the issue of community employment supervisors' pensions and I ask …

I want to reflect on a number of issues that were raised in the earlier part of the debate. One was the decision by the Oireachtas housing committee to waive pre-legislative scrutiny. As Vice Chairman of that committee, I want to put on record the reason for that is that we wanted to ensure the maximum number of Deputies in the House had the maximum amount of time to debate the Bill in full, rather than a smaller number of us getting that, with the risk of the protection expiring or it being pushed through. That st…

As Vice Chairman of the Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, I welcome the decision of the Government to allow the Bill to progress to the committee, where we can discuss it in context with the advisory group report. I thank the Moore Street campaign and the proposers of the Bill because it does reflect the ambition of the Bill which I drafted in 2015 with the then Senator, now Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, supported by Deputy Ó Cuív and Senator Fitzpatrick. The Minister has already put his mone…

As the Vice Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage, I wish to put on record the reason for our decision to waive the pre-legislative scrutiny stage. We are 19 days away from the current legislation expiring, at which point people will be at risk. Government members on the committee made the decision to ensure that the maximum time was available to the greatest number of representatives in the House during this Stage as opposed to a smaller number of us carrying out pre-…

I so move.

As long as the protection-----

I misunderstood. Did I have the option not to move the adjournment of the debate?

I am happy to help the House.

I welcome the Government's announcement in recent days regarding its attempts to secure a supply of vaccinations. I made a rough calculation. The WHO says 315 million people on the planet have been vaccinated out of an available population of 5.2 billion. This means that 4.8 billion individuals have yet to be vaccinated. In the early phases of the pandemic, we saw a great deal of amateur virology and at times we have seen some amateur procurement as well. The idea that we can easily access vaccines somewhere on the…

I thank the Minister for the announcement he made this week on further education and apprenticeships and on how they will be managed. Perhaps the term "further education" itself adds to the perception that there is a difference between higher education provided in universities and that provided through the education and training boards, ETBs, or apprenticeships. We have some concerns in this regard. There is a lot of autonomy in respect of both admissions and the tailoring of courses at ETB level. In many cases, th…

I am due to speak with a colleague but I think we are running a little ahead of time so I will use as much of the time as I can. The Land Development Agency Bill and its partner Bill, the affordable housing Bill, are two of the most important pieces of legislation that will come before this Dáil. I say that because they are the instruments which will allow the Government to deliver affordable housing to a society and an economy that has been starved of it for the best part of a decade. Not being able to afford or a…

We have put in place huge supports for businesses during this pandemic but we have not done enough for those who do not have a fixed premises. I am thinking of many people in small businesses or who are self-employed who might have a catering truck that operates at festivals or events. Will the Government bring forward supports for them? They have fixed costs but not a fixed premises. The business aid scheme was aimed to perhaps help them but I have yet to see the details on that. I ask for the details to be brough…