I welcome the fact that Professor Mark Ferguson has been asked to keep this under review. However, we need to have a bit of ambition. The two tests I mentioned from Roche and Abbott meet the minimum standards set by the WHO. If we are to give people hope of the prospect of work post Covid or even as the vaccination programme is carried out, this is pivotal. In addition, if people have medical or dental appointments, an antigen test half an hour before they arrive could provide a lot of reassurance, not just for the…

Like Deputy Calleary, I was listening to the debate outside the Chamber. I was listening and reflecting on what different Deputies were saying. One phrase the Minister used at the outset of the debate was that not everybody will be happy with this legislation. That certainly seems to be the case. Some people do not think it goes far enough. Others think perhaps that it goes too far. I listened with amusement then to Members from one particular party on the left standing up, one by one, criticising people being unab…

I have raised this issue consistently with the Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, both in the Chamber and when I have an opportunity at the Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. I will continue to raise it because it is an issue of contention in Cork and it needs to be addressed urgently. Any clarification that the Minister of State could give today would be most welcome. I will give a couple of facts that detail the situation we face in Cork. In area CHO 4, a…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. At the outset, I meant to acknowledge the good work that had been done in special needs education over the past decade in particular. We have more special needs assistants, SNAs, and special education teachers than ever before, but we must be cognisant of the fact we also have more children than ever with a diagnosis of some description on the spectrum. Hence the pressure we are under to facilitate places for them in special schools. While I welcome the Minister of St…

I would like to raise the issue of animal welfare, specifically equine welfare. The majority of Deputies would come across situations where animals, particularly horses, are found in a decrepit condition, many of them emaciated and some having to be euthanised in certain circumstances. The programme for Government calls for the continued robust enforcement of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 and a review of the sentencing regime underpinning that legislation. I very much welcome that, particularly in my own c…

I will try to be brief and allow the Minister to come back in. I welcome his comments regarding kidney and dialysis patients. I also raise the case of sufferers of cystic fibrosis. Approximately 1,300 adults and children in this country suffer from that disease. Being in here talking about vaccines and trying to get them out to people quickly reminds me of the parable of the loaves and the fishes. It is difficult and there are stresses on the system. We are doing our best to prioritise those who need the vaccine mo…

I will use half of my available time and leave the remainder for the Minister. Roads have been the topic of debate for the past week or so. I welcome the announcement of the Limerick road but a road in my constituency of Cork North-Central has been a topic of debate for approximately 25 years. I refer to the north ring road in Cork city. Great work is being done on the north side of Cork city with the rolling out of the Cork metropolitan area draft transport strategy, CMATS, which would provide for railway and cycl…

I would also disagree with Deputy Paul Murphy who spoke before me. I believe that both the Minister and the Minister of State have done their level best to address many of the concerns in the childcare sector. I am a parent of two children under two. I will appreciate much more the work that childcare workers do and, I suppose, the impact that it has on our pockets. As Deputies Lahart and Jim O'Callaghan mentioned earlier, it is becoming like a second mortgage. I suppose I am beginning to experience that for myself…

Initially, I wish to echo the calls of previous speakers regarding the PUP. I take some solace from the Minister's words that the Government has not been found wanting and, to be fair, that has been the case regarding the PUP, the wage subsidy scheme and other schemes that have been rolled out. I take some comfort from that, but I echo Deputy O'Dea Comments that people require certainty. I suppose it is hard to give certainty in the middle of a global pandemic, but where it can be given, it should be. The sooner we…

I will be brief because I am conscious that I am sharing my last three minutes with Deputy Duffy. I will make three or four brief points and leave the remainder of my time for the Minister. We need to welcome the homelessness figures released recently. Obviously, it is not enough and there are still far too many families and individuals in homeless and emergency accommodation. Yet, since the Minister has taken office there has been a reduction of almost 2,000 in homelessness figures, which is welcome. I commend the…

I would like to follow up on Deputy MacSharry's comments. The majority of Deputies in the House today will welcome the announcement regarding the Covid restrictions support scheme, but a number of anomalies have been brought to our attention that need to be highlighted. Like Deputy Nash, I commend the work the Minister and his Department have done on this issue, as well as the work of Revenue. As Deputy Nash said, the turnaround times have been very good and the process has been very efficient, and that is to be we…

As I was preparing my few notes for this debate, I had hoped it would be constructive and positive. I mention all those adjectives we are used to hearing from some Members in the House. I have to reference Deputy Ó Ríordáin's contribution in particular. He came in here professing that he wanted to de-escalate the situation, to be constructive and to use all of those positive connotations. He then launched into a five-minute tirade of abuse against the Minister. He cast aspersions on the Minister of State as well be…

My second query is on school transport because I am aware that it has informed some of the negotiations with the trade unions in recent weeks. I still have concerns on school transport and I can highlight one specific case in my constituency in which three schools are together on one campus and different groups of students attending those three schools are all mixing and congregating on the one bus. I would hope that clarity could be given to Bus Éireann in that particular case that this practice cannot be allowed …

I would like to acknowledge the work the Minister and Minister of State have done over the past few weeks to ensure that children with special educational and complex needs can return to school shortly. I welcome the Minister's statement that all parties are working together towards a safe return by 21 January. This is welcome, considering that some of the children in these cases have profound needs and the impact of Covid on their education and socialisation is most profound. I welcome that the Minister and Minist…

I welcome the Minister and the Minister of State to the House. I will first address some topics for discussion to the Minister. Many third level students have not received an authentic college experience. That is to be expected given the pandemic we are experiencing and the spiralling numbers of transmissions, particularly in the past few months. That said, will the Minister comment on the well-being of our third level student population? The demand for additional mental health supports is well-documented in newspa…

Will the Minister provide an update on the work of the European Commission's Directorate General for Structural Reform Support, which aims to investigate methods of increasing the sustainability of higher and further education provision in Ireland? As the Minister will know, this question is an important one. The sector needs a sustainable long-term trajectory, a need which Covid-19 has only reinforced. When can we expect to see developments in this regard?

While I know the Minister has been in situ for only a period of months, this issue has been dragging on for a number of years. The Commission was first asked to help with this work back in October 2018. The expert group started its work in 2014 to identify and consider issues related to the long-term sustainable funding of higher education in Ireland and to identify funding options for the future. The programme for Government commits to developing a long-term sustainable funding model for higher level education in …

I am concerned that the future debate in this area will be distorted. We need to ensure a public understanding of the two separate issues which need to be addressed. The first is costs for students. It is welcome that the Minister has announced a review of SUSI. That will be important in ensuring that the support system in place will be able to meet students' demands. The second issue is the sustainability of the sector itself, keeping the doors open to these students, keeping talent in place and ensuring that Irel…

We know there has been a spike in domestic violence in recent months. It appears the public health measures have, unfortunately, created circumstances in which violence can prosper and spread. What action has the Government taken to address this in my constituency of Cork North-Central?

There were 19,344 domestic abuse incident reports in the period from 12 March 2019 to 3 November 2019. This year, from 12 March to 3 November 2020, there was a total of 22,540 reported incidents. That is an increase of more than 3,000 cases. There have been 217 prosecutions for domestic violence during the pandemic. It is vital that the Government does everything in its power to address the matter. It is welcome that a number of initiatives have been undertaken, both by the Government and An Garda Síochána, in rece…