That is based on the precedent that when there was controversy involving Ministers in the previous Dáil, there was, very regularly, an opportunity for questions and answers. If the Minister makes a statement and then leaves before we can ask questions or get answers, that is quite problematic. If the Business Committee could come back with a proposal to include time for questions and answers, that would be excellent.

Could we get a response from the Chief Whip or somebody from the Government as to whether we can agree to change the order?

We can change the order for today in order to facilitate questions and answers.

The Chief Whip knows we can change the Order of Business for today to facilitate questions and answers. Please do not be obstinate about this. He can make a decision now and say the Government will accede to the request and change the agenda to facilitate questions and answers. We need that for some accountability in this House.

Page 10 of the programme for Government states, "We will complete the review of the School Transport Scheme to seek better outcomes and reduce car journeys." It appears that, while that review is ongoing, a widespread cut of Dublin Bus contracted school buses is taking place. I know at least three schools in my constituency are being affected. Four buses are being cut from one school and seven from another. These cuts appear to be Dublin-wide and will therefore affect thousands of students and their parents. They w…

This Government, as with the previous two, will be judged on its response to the housing crisis. All the now-governing parties – Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party – had a hand in the creation of the circumstances we are currently in. I refer to the unprecedented level of homelessness and to the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the housing crisis. Political choices, particularly by the last couple of Governments, have allowed the crisis to worsen further to protect the soaring profits of the big …

The proposed move from Firhouse for Firhouse Educate Together secondary school to Citywest is not workable and threatens the very future of the school. It will not work for the students who have additional needs and their families. It will not work for the students who currently walk to school and their parents drive somewhere else to work and so on. It might not work for some of the staff who currently work there at a time of real pressure for teaching staff, special needs assistants, SNAs, etc. I wish to read a s…

Deputy Seán Crowe is surely also entitled to a minute.

I will take 30 seconds. This plan will not be acceptable. The Minister is facing a formidable campaign of opposition that has collected more than 2,000 signatures. The campaign has community support and there was a large online public meeting on the issue last week. I do not think the Department can just wash its hands of this and say that the choice is up to the patron bodies. The Department must intervene and find a solution. I appeal to the Minister to agree to meet with the board of management and the campaign.

I will start by saying that we need more support for small and micro businesses, such as arts workers, small coffee shops, restaurants, tradespeople and taxi drivers. They need more support at this time be it grant aid, which is preferable, or easy access to very low interest loans. I am, however, opposed to the utilisation of the stories of those small, family-run coffee shops being put to the forefront to cover up for a substantial amount of corporate welfare in the State. We need to shine a light on the amounts …

Put me after the Deputy.

We are here to discuss the question of extra funding. I do not think anyone in the country could dispute the need for extra funding for our health service. That is probably a general truth but it is particularly true at this moment. There are legitimate questions about where the money is going and conditions in our health service. If possible, I want to do back and forth question and answers. I will start with an issue the Minister also raised when he was in opposition, only a number of days ago. On at least five o…

I strongly urge the Minister to publish those figures so people can see for themselves to better investigate the situation and to compare it with Britain. I have another question on the pay and treatment of nurses, who have been on the front line over the past while, along with other workers, in the struggle against Covid-19. We know that more than 8,000 healthcare workers have been infected, making up a huge percentage of our total infections, which is the highest rate in the world according to the Irish Nurses an…

Most of the healthcare professionals hired during the crisis have been hired on short-term contracts with CPL, a recruitment agency. The former Minister, Deputy Harris, refused to publish the details of that arrangement. Will the Minister publish the details of the arrangement between the State and CPL?

Today, the new Taoiseach and Ministers will celebrate their elevation to high office. Tomorrow, and in the weeks and months ahead, the Government will become known for eco-austerity, a two-tier healthcare system and a worsening housing crisis, and as a Government which represents the rich, landlords and big business. It will be a hated Government. Remember what issues dominated the election, namely, healthcare, housing and the pension age. Since the election, a pandemic has shown us the weakness of our public healt…

There has been some discussion in the media over the course of the day about what the character of this Government is. Brian Dobson on RTÉ asked whether we might put the label "centre-left" on this Government. If he is watching, the answer is "No", we might not put the label "centre-left" on this Government, because if one puts together the two right-wing parties that have ruled this country in the interest of the rich for almost a century, if one adds the Green Party, which signed up to a neo-liberal programme for…

On behalf of Solidarity-People Before Profit and on my own behalf, I would like to express our condolences and sympathy with Detective Garda Colm Horkan's family, friends and colleagues. Reading the reports of his funeral and the very many occasions that happened around the country, I was particularly struck by the words of his brother, Brendan Horkan, at his funeral. He painted a very human, warm picture of Colm. He said he was "kind, considerate, selfless and above all, loyal to the core. He was a rock in our fam…

It is incredible that after less than a two-hour debate this House will pass, by a big majority - a bigger majority, unfortunately, than in recent years - these massive restrictions on civil liberties and democratic rights. Those Deputies will do so against the advice of the UN Human Rights Committee, against the position of Amnesty International and the Irish Council on Civil Liberties and in most cases, without even reference to the real concerns about the restrictions on civil liberties contained within the cont…

I have two questions, the first of which flows from what Deputy Boyd Barrett was saying. For parents, students and teachers, there is a significant desire to have schools fully reopened in September. People know that children's education and development are being damaged, as is their emotional well-being. They need to be back in school, learning, socialising and processing the times that we have been through. There has been a worrying attempt to pit students and parents against teachers and to turn parents against …

Will the Minister agree to employ the staff we need to enable safe reopening and will he also get the space?