We are faced with an absolutely unprecedented crisis in terms of health and the social, economic, political and psychological well-being of this country. Budget 2021 was announced as the European Central Bank, ECB, forecast the sharpest ever decline in the EU's GDP. A contraction of 10% is expected in 2020, with unprecedented job losses and damage to society and enterprises. It is nearly impossible to find the words to express the full extent of the crisis this country faces. Never have there been so many uncertain…

The members of the Defence Forces are heroes and patriots. They have been the last form of defence for the country on many occasions. They travel the world to defend peace in difficult and dangerous places. They work in shockingly difficult conditions with very low pay. That has been very damaging to morale within the Defence Forces and has also dealt a blow in terms of their numbers to the extent that it is increasingly difficult for the Defence Forces to function in the manner they wish. When will the Minister me…

I welcome the Minister's statement because I have spoken to representatives of the Defence Forces and they have asked when the implementation plan for the strengthening of the Defence Forces will be discussed. A representative of RACO recently stated that there are 300 fewer personnel in the Defence Forces than there were when the plan was put in place last year. Although there is a plan, we are still going in the wrong direction. Military officers have been quoted in newspapers as stating that, so far, it has been…

I acknowledge the Minister stated things have been done, but this issue did not arise overnight. It is not the case that people have just put in requests for these changes. This is not recent analysis on the weakening and reduction of the Defence Forces. The Minister rightly indicated that it is quite shocking. It is amazing that ships are currently tied up because crews are not available to deliver services on them. I refer to the working time directive, which I will discuss at a later stage. That legislation date…

The Organisation of Working Time Act dates from 1997, there was a European Court of Justice, ECJ, decision in 2010 and no negotiations have happened since July 2019. In anyone's measure, that level of progress is glacial. When will the working time directive be implemented to ensure safe working conditions, increased work-life balance and, importantly, retention?

The working family payment, which is relevant in this context, is an admission by the State that a person's income is not enough to survive on. That is a shocking admission. The fact that members of the Defence Forces are being paid such an income while being excluded from the provisions of the working time directive and doing many more hours than 48 hours per week is incredible. The ECJ has stated that there is no blanket exemption and other European defence forces have implemented the directive. An incredible num…

It is a major health and safety issue. The objective of the directive is also to provide for the greater compatibility of work with family life, which is massively important for everybody, but the non-adherence to the directive is also a key driver in Defence Forces personnel leaving. This is not an effort from us to talk down the Defence Forces. It is a demand, a request, a shout and a plea from the Defence Forces themselves. There has been a significant loss of personnel from all ranks in the Defence Forces. The …

Two years ago, news broke that Ms Emma Mhic Mhathúna died after a battle with cancer. Many people remember where they were on that day and when they heard that heartbreaking news. On the second anniversary of her death, newspapers reported that another woman was dragged through the legal system before her case was settled in the High Court. This is despite the Tánaiste stating that no other terminally ill woman would be dragged through the courts. Ms Patricia Carrick is a mother of four who is 51 years old. She was…

Tá meas agam ar an Aire agus a comhghleacaithe. Tá a fhios agam go bhfuil siad dáiríre faoina gcuid polaitíocht. Tá seans ollmhór acu anois difear ollmhór a dhéanamh ar ábhar atá iontach tábhachtach don tír seo. Tá mé ag smaoineamh ar an teach a bhí ag an Rathailleach, a leagadh cúpla seachtain ó shin. Cosúil leis an nGaeilge, bhí an teach ina sheasamh. Tá an Ghaeilge fós ag seasamh sa tír seo. Leagadh an teach sin. Mar a deireann an fógra a bhíonn ar an teilifís, nuair atá sé leagtha tá sé imithe. I gcás na Gaeilg…

The Covid crisis is a serious threat to the life and limb of many people around the country. We must do our best to reduce the number of cases within the State and do the simple things and avail of the low-hanging fruit as best we can. I refer to working from home where possible, social distancing, wearing face coverings on public transport and in shops, and so on. The figures have increased worryingly over recent weeks but thankfully, hospital admissions, ICU admissions and fatalities are far lower than when cases…

We do not have much time-----

We know that-----

Denise Mullen is an Aontú councillor in Mid Ulster. Some 46 years ago, the Glenanne gang murdered her father in the family home. Denise, who was four years old at the time, came upon her father's lifeless body and was forced to stay there for two hours due to fears there was a bomb in the house. Garfield Beattie was convicted of the murder of Denise's father. Mr. Beattie was released on licence under the Good Friday Agreement. He is a member of the Glenanne gang, which is made up of loyalists, British Army soldiers…

In July. I sent the invitation on an official-----

The threat of a no-deal Brexit cannot be overstated. The Central Bank has stated that a no-deal Brexit could cost Ireland over 100,000 jobs. Under a no-deal Brexit, the cost of food and other products in Ireland could jump massively. The executive director of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association stated that 60% of flour exports from two mills in Belfast could be subject to tariffs of €172 per tonne. Fisheries would lose up to 5,000 jobs. In a no-deal Brexit, the €5 billion of Irish agrifood exports to Br…

The Taoiseach referred earlier to different counties. There are approximately seven counties with quite low Covid-19 figures in comparison to counties Donegal, Monaghan and Dublin. Local county restrictions seem to have been binned now, where it seems that one size fits all. It does not make sense. This Dáil has been bypassed from these types of discussions since the election. We need to have a debate on this issue today.

Under the previous Government, the decision was made that all online advertising would go through the Taoiseach's office. Is that still the case? What controls are in place to monitor Government spending? Perhaps the Taoiseach will furnish us with a report on and breakdown of Government spending on this. There is no doubt that there need to be controls. A sum of €2 million is large and I am concerned there might be another agenda at play. We are all familiar with the CervicalCheck scandal, which was a shocking situ…

There were advertisements during the period-----

A few days ago I watched a heartbreaking RTÉ report in which a couple said that they did not know what would happen to their special needs daughter if they died before her. They said no parent ever wants to bury their child but the reality is that they dread what would happen, not if but when, they simply cannot manage. That is an experience for many families across the country. Another person emailed my office in recent days to inform me that the early intervention services for their three-year-old son are non-exi…

This morning, one could almost hear the collective groan of hundreds of thousands of families as they listened on morning radio to the latest instalment of this Government's fiasco factory. People around the country are wondering if anybody is in charge at all. In a few short months, this Government has proven itself efficient in only one thing and that is the creation of chaos. The predictive grades process has turned out to be a complete dog's dinner. What has actually been delivered looks nothing like what was d…