On a point of order, I ask the Ceann Comhairle to clarify a matter. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle did it. The Minister has again made an accusation. The public health advice is for Members to leave the building or the room when they have finished speaking. The Minister should not use that to attack me. I asked five specific questions. The Minister refused to answer any of those questions and that is not acceptable from a Minister in his position.

Maybe he could have answered one question in the 50 seconds. He did not do so.

I move amendment No. 1: To insert the following after “Dáil Éireann on 13th January, 2021”: “, notes that: — businesses have been significantly impacted by restrictions introduced by the Government under public health regulations to combat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic; — the Covid Restrictions Support Scheme has been a vital and effective financial support for many businesses that have been significantly impacted by Covid-19 restrictions; and — many businesses that have been significantly impacted by restri…

Gabhaim buíochas, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Ba mhaith liom ceisteanna a chur ar an Tánaiste i dtaobh an sceite eolais a rinne sé ón gconradh rúnda a bhí idir an IMO agus an Roinn Sláinte agus a thug sé dá chara. Mar gheall ar an eolas atá againn le cúpla lá anuas, tá a fhios againn anois go ndearna neamhaird ar an achainí a rinne an tAire Sláinte an t-am sin, an Teachta Simon Harris, chun cóip den chonradh seo a fháil. Ba é sin an tAire a bhí i gceannas na gcainteanna seo agus níor tugadh an conradh dó, ach ag an am…

The Tánaiste has now changed his story again. He told the Dáil that he asked his PA to request the document from the Department of Health. He now says that he asked his PA for it and she already had a copy, so he never got it from the Department of Health. Why is he changing his story? Is it because now we can prove that there is no record whatsoever of his getting the document from the Department, requesting it or receiving it? The freedom of information request shows clearly that the Tánaiste's defence of his act…

His office requested it on 15 April.

This week's "RTÉ Investigates" documentary "Stuck in the Rough" was hard to watch. It revealed the harsh reality of life in the streets and people forced to sleep rough. Three of those people, Dan, Natalie and Joe, spoke openly and honestly about their lives, how they became homeless and their hopes for their future. Listening to them was heartbreaking. Dan, Natalie and Joe are being failed by the homeless system and by this Government. The documentary showed how Dan and Joe were refused emergency accommodation bec…

I understand this is a questions and answers session so I will make a couple of comments. There is no doubt this is a difficult time for the school community, including in my county of Donegal. A school community is made up of teachers, teaching assistants, ancillary staff, children and their families. Everyone in that community has one objective and that is to have our children back at school. The welfare of our children is crucial. Tá an aidhm chéanna ag achan duine. Tá an sprioc chéanna ag pobal na scoile, is í …

I begin by paying tribute to all the women and children who spent time in these institutions, including those in my county of Donegal. I pay tribute to the bravery shown by the survivors who engaged with the commission. I know there are many who did not have the opportunity to do so. Tá moladh tuillte ag na mná, a gcuid teaghlaigh agus a gcuid páistí don chrógacht a thaispeáin siad, ní hamháin le linn na hama a chaith siad sna hinstitiúidí seo, ach don chrógacht fosta a thaispeáin siad agus iad ag plé leis an gcoim…

Ba mhaith liom ceist na n-ospidéal a phlé leis an Tánaiste, go háirithe ó thaobh na leapacha in ICU. Tá a fhios againn ón eolas a tháinig chun solais inné go bhfuil 13 dár n-ospidéil ar fud an Stáit nach bhfuil leaba ar bith ICU ar fáil iontu, agus i seacht gcinn eile níl ach leaba amháin le fáil. Tá an fhoireann atá ag obair sna hospidéil faoi bhrú millteanach. Ag an am céanna, tá a fhios againn ó Be On Call for Ireland go bhfuil níos mó ná 1,500 duine, dochtúir agus altra atá sásta dul ag obair inár n-ospidéil ac…

The issue is very serious. My local hospital in Letterkenny had seven ambulances parked outside on Sunday night. Patients were being treated in the forecourt of Letterkenny University Hospital in ambulances because there was no capacity. A total of 11 beds were closed within the hospital because of staffing shortages. As the Tánaiste says, many are out sick. Up to 180 are either close contacts or Covid-19 positive themselves. We have the statistics. What concerns me is that hundreds of nurses who are qualified and …

It is regrettable that the Tánaiste has used the pandemic to score cheap political points. The Tánaiste knows more than most that Sinn Féin actually proposed a travel ban to the Executive and that the DUP, UUP and the Alliance Party voted that down. This is regrettable given the sacrifices and the suffering that so many people are going through at this point in time, not to mention the loss of life that we have seen increase in the last number of days. The issue I wish to raise with the Tánaiste today is that yeste…

-----for Covid payment breaks. The Government has not even asked the banks to bring forward these payment breaks. Can the Tánaiste explain to hard-pressed customers why the Government will not ask the banks to instigate these payment breaks?

The Tánaiste is the Minister with responsibility.

The Tánaiste has responsibility.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to prohibit the discriminatory pricing of certain insurance premiums payable by certain persons to the extent that such pricing is on the basis that any such person is a pre-existing customer of an insurance provider, to prohibit the use of profiling techniques in the calculation of such insurance premiums to determine whether or not such customer or class of customers are likely, or the extent to which any such customer is likely, to renew the polic…

I move:"That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

As this is the last sitting before the Christmas recess, I will begin by wishing the Ceann Comhairle and all the staff of the Houses of the Oireachtas a very happy Christmas. From ushers to staff in the Bills Office, the canteen and everywhere else throughout the complex, they do incredible work and deserve our thanks, particularly at this challenging time. I also wish my colleagues in the Dáil and the Irish people a very peaceful Christmas. While we must remain vigilant to the threat of Covid-19 to protect ourselv…

I thank the Tánaiste for his comments on supporting a cap on the interest charged by moneylenders. I acknowledge that Fianna Fáil supported the legislation two years ago, and while the Tánaiste's Government of the time did not, I welcome his remarks now. We need to deal with this issue. The Bill is under pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform, and Taoiseach. Numerous submissions have been received that address the point the Tánaiste raised, which is a concern we al…

I echo all the Ceann Comhairle's comments in relation to the staff and the good wishes. I want to return to the appointment of Mr. Justice Séamus Woulfe. The revelations this morning in The Irish Times are, indeed, shocking. They are shocking for this reason. The Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, informed us in the Dáil on 26 November that she got the memorandum on 6 July. The Minister stated: What I did, therefore, was not bring it [to Cabinet] immediately, even though I had been told that this was urgent. I t…