I asked who turned off the microphones.

That is fair enough. Will the person who is turning off the microphones please stop doing it?

The Minister of State is aware of the outrage in our fishing communities around the coast at the outcome of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The cost to our fishing industry every year is at least €43 million. This is a 15% loss. In areas such as mackerel and prawn, which are crucial to particular ports and harbours, the impact is huge. The reason people are so angry is not only what has happened in the trade agreement. It has historical context. As we speak, Ireland's waters account for 12% of overall Eu…

In 2002, as I have learned, 560 council homes were built or acquired across County Donegal. In the past 11 years, it was 543 council houses. Therefore, in 11 years, in Donegal, 543 were either built or acquired, although in 2002, in one year, more were built or acquired. That is the scale of the intentional failure of public housing in our county. What has that led to? As I speak today, more than 2,300 families are renting in the private sector in Donegal under the housing assistance payment or the rental accommoda…

Ding dong, the time is up. Wrap it up now.

Everybody in this Chamber, all of our Deputies and all of our Senators desperately want this vaccine roll-out to be delivered as soon as practically possible to our people across the State. We are all in this together. We really desperately want this to succeed. Therefore, the Minister should take my comments in the time ahead constructively. When I saw the list of vaccination centres across the country, I saw one vaccination centre in Letterkenny, and the Minister knows the geography of Donegal. We then learned th…

I only have 30 seconds left. The Minister mentioned pharmacists. All the Deputies in Donegal have been contacted by the pharmacists in Donegal. They say they need to get the vaccine for their workers. They are front-line health workers and have been carrying major responsibilities. The pharmacists want to deliver and play a big role in the roll-out of the vaccine, but they are asking if their staff can be vaccinated as well.

Could I get it verbally?

It is just ten seconds.

The Minister will be very familiar with the mica redress scheme for defective concrete blocks in Donegal. It is the culmination of many years of campaigning by families, similar to the campaigns in Dublin and north Leinster, that led to the pyrite resolution scheme. Unfortunately, the scheme in Donegal is turning into a big problem. There was a necessity for 10% funding for the costs of engineering and construction, but families are finding out that the cost of demolition and reconstruction of their homes is way be…

I appreciate the Minister's offer. Will he confirm that he accepts the point I make that it is extraordinary that the banks that will benefit, potentially by hundreds of millions of euro in asset gain, have not offered to make a contribution? Does he agree that is extraordinary?

To be very clear and brief, the Mica Action Group that led the campaign carried out a survey of the affected families. Right now, the assets of the banks are worth very little more than the site valuation. The houses are not worth anything, but when they benefit from the scheme, they will be restored to full market value, which is worth hundreds of millions of additional euro. That is a huge gain for the banks.

My question is why the banks are not playing a role.

I said last week that the curtailment of the Opposition in doing its job had to stop. It is unacceptable that, for the third week out of four, there will not be dedicated statements and questions to the Minister for Health on the public health response and the vaccination programme. Those statements and questions were agreed by the Business Committee and understood to take place every three weeks out of four. I understand that additional hours will be allocated to Dáil sittings from next week. The Government needs …

It is not agreed. This is now the sixth week where the Dáil is sitting for half its usual hours. Normally the Dáil sits 33 or 34 hours a week, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and we are sitting for half that time. That means we have no Taoiseach's questions, no Ministers' questions and instead of three Private Members' slots for dealing with legislation we have one. Topical issues, Questions on Promised Legislation and Leaders' Questions have been reduced. This is intolerable for the Opposition and intolerab…

Very briefly, a Cheann Comhairle, the question was asked about public health. Why has the Taoiseach refused, for two out of three weeks, to bring the Minister for Health into this House to be accountable on the very issue that has locked us down for half of the hours that we normally sit, that is, the public health response and vaccines? This is the second time, in two out of three weeks, that the Taoiseach has refused what was understood to be a standing slot. What has that got to do with the public health respons…

No. Just to be clear, and everybody in the Opposition knows this-----

The Taoiseach knows the question I am asking. I ask that he answer it.

I raise two very important issues with the Minister under the fisheries heading. First, as the Minister is aware, the tie-up scheme last year was seen right across the fishing sector as too little too late and there was a very low take-up. The affected fishers right across the coast did not get the financial assistance they required. The Minister introduced an aquaculture support scheme. Will he revisit the whole issue this year, particularly in respect of the inshore fishermen, who have had a huge hit on the marke…

I welcome the opportunity to address this motion. I offer Sinn Féin's support for the measure, but with conditionality. The powers that will be afforded to the Ministers following the agreement of the motion are complementary to the marine planning and development Bill on which the Department is currently working, which will have far-reaching consequences and leave a long-term impact on coastal communities and the fishing industry. I accept there needs to be strict oversight and scrutiny of any application to dump …