It is not agreed. For the attention of the Taoiseach and the Government, the Opposition has been co-operating with the fact that we are unique in the world in that we do not sit in our own Parliament these days and we are sitting at half the normal time. We believe that in the last few weeks the Government has taken advantage of this arrangement. We only have one Private Members' time per week. Normally there are two. We have no Private Members' time on a Thursday. We have no Taoiseach's questions or Ministers' que…

I want to raise a very important issue from my constituency of Donegal, namely, the plight of the Bluestack Special Needs Foundation, which is based in Donegal town and serves south County Donegal, and iCARE, based on the Inishowen Peninsula. Both organisations have provided a tremendous service to children and young people with disabilities and their families for about 20 years. For 18 years, they did not have any fixed financial support from the State. There was a campaign in Donegal to change that, and two years…

I thank the Minister of State and appreciate her response. As per meetings with previous Ministers, the difficulty has been that, unfortunately, the HSE in County Donegal is continuing to take up the financial flack. Therefore, it will be necessary for central government to release funding to assist with this.

It is not agreed.

We are in unprecedented times. The Dáil is unique in the world in sitting in an alternative Parliament. We have halved the sitting hours every week and the Opposition has co-operated and accepted this very reluctantly. We have a solemn responsibility to represent the people who voted for us. We have a solemn responsibility in a democracy to hold the Government to account. The very reason we are in this unprecedented situation is because of a public health crisis. We need to ask questions every week. The Minister fo…

It is four and half years since the vote on Brexit in the UK and we are a year into this Covid-19 crisis. Both crises have demonstrated the folly of partition and its huge impact on our island. In the last week, an opinion poll published by The Sunday Times has demonstrated that a majority of the people of the North are in favour of a referendum on Irish unity within the next five years. Will the Tánaiste's Government now bring in a White Paper on Irish unity, establish an Oireachtas all-Ireland committee on Irish …

The Minister will have been engaged in extensive discussions with fishers around the coast and he will know better than most the disaster that they see this deal as. It should be remembered that this was an industry already struggling. I met with the Foyle Fishermen's Co-operative yesterday online and they advised me that, in Donegal alone, as many as 400 jobs are threatened on the back of this appalling deal. The Minister will be aware that our fishing industry acted in good faith, working with other member states…

The Minister is before the Joint Committee on Agriculture and the Marine tomorrow and we will develop this conversation then. With the limited time I have left, I will ask about Rockall. As the Minister will be aware, the naval authorities of Britain have prevented Donegal fishing boats from accessing the crucial waters around Rockall, particularly the zero to 12-mile limit. For example, Foyle Fishermen's Co-operative, as the Minister will be aware, derives one quarter of its income from those fishing grounds aroun…

I have to-----

I have to-----

Can I propose-----

Can I propose-----

Let any independent observer see what a nonsense this is.

Whatever-----

I have just been informed as the Sinn Féin Party Whip-----

With respect, we are working under restricted conditions.

Yes, it is.

I really appreciate that in the exceptional circumstances and I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle very much. I join with the Minister in paying my condolences to the family and friends of Hugo Boyle. He was a Donegal man but he was very important to fishers throughout the island, particularly in the south and west where he was the chief executive of the producer organisation. I have seen some very moving tributes to him and I join the Minister in paying tribute to him. With regard to the issue of licences, I apprecia…

I emailed Government and Opposition Whips, the Ceann Comhairle and the officials of the Business Committee earlier today to request that the Minister for Education come before the House tomorrow to make a statement and take questions following the chaos that has emerged with regard to providing school services to children with special educational needs. I understand that can be facilitated tomorrow. Will the Government clarify how this is to be done?

The Taoiseach will recall that in 2019, the Sea-Fisheries (Amendment) Act came through the Houses and at that time, the Government stated that its purpose was to reinstate the principle of voisinage to allow Irish fishers, no matter where they were resident on the island of Ireland, to fish and sell their produce on this island. Today's date is 13 January and for 13 days, Irish fishermen with a licence in the North of Ireland are being prevented from landing their fish in harbours and piers across the State, with t…