It is welcome that a review is under way on refuge spaces. Could the Minister clarify when the review is expected to conclude? Domestic violence is often discussed in the overall context of gender-based violence, but it is broader than that. We know that men are also victims. We also know that child-parent domestic abuse is an issue. I am concerned about the lack of availability of refuge spaces for men within the system. It appears that there is no current research on the need for such places. It stands to reason …

I want to raise the issue of the urgent need for an out-of-hours GP service on the north side of Cork city. The Blackpool SouthDoc service, which had served residents on the north side, closed in March. According to doctors practising locally, people have had to walk miles for the one operational service, which is situated in an industrial estate off the Kinsale Road roundabout in the south side of the city. While it is accessible by car, many of the people I have spoken to do not drive. The route is difficult for …

I thank the Minister for his response. I appreciate the impact Covid-19 has had on all services throughout the health system. It is my understanding that SouthDoc services throughout the city and county were closed at the onset of the pandemic to curtail the spread of the virus. However, as the Minister has acknowledged, all centres in Cork city and county are open except for the one in Blackpool. I do not expect the Minister to be overly familiar with the north side of Cork city. For his information I note that th…

I thank the Minister for his response. The service closed in March. Other out-of-hours services reopened in June but the people of the north side of Cork city are still without a service in December. I urge the Minister and the HSE to make this a priority. Despite commitments to resolve the issue, months have passed and the situation is unchanged. People are becoming increasingly frustrated with the fact that this is the only unit that has not reopened. I stress the urgency of this matter and I hope the Minister ca…

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, who is speaking in place of the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan. He is somewhat of a jack of all trades tonight and has spoken on social housing, Irish Water and, now, broadband. It is not an enviable task. I welcome him to the House. I have discussed this issue in the Dáil in recent weeks. We are all aware of how critical high-speed broadband is to our daily lives. This need has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the recent lockdowns. I will highlight the…

I welcome the fact that the national broadband plan is being accelerated. I acknowledge that but it is ironic that the Minister of State's four or five pages of a response uses the same kind of language as Eir and other providers use when our constituency offices contact them. I welcome the roll-out of the broadband connection points. My own constituency is benefiting in that regard as Whitechurch will be getting one. The real issue I need to hammer home is that people require access to information. I welcome the l…

I have been contacted by many aspiring homeowners over the past few months about their mortgage applications. Unfortunately, they are facing much uncertainty about their applications to financial institutions and the drawing down of funding because their employers are availing of the temporary Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme. I know the Minister has engaged with banks about this. During his discussions with the banks, has he received any indication as to how many people are being affected? I have seen in my constituen…

I thank the Minister for his response. I appreciate that the regulatory framework for the decision to grant or refuse an individual application for a mortgage is a matter for the financial institutions. However, many of the constituents to whom I have spoken have not been impacted financially. The issue is that they cannot draw down a previously approved mortgage. Often their employers provide letters to state that their employment will not be affected and there is no long-term financial difficulty, yet they are no…

I thank the Minister for his response and appreciate where he is coming from regarding the importance of protecting people who may not have long-term financial security. Nobody is advocating that banks approve loans to people whose jobs are not viable or that they lend recklessly. I am not suggesting that for one minute. I emphasise that I am referring to applicants who were pre-approved for mortgages. They are having difficulty with the drawdown of same because they are on one of these schemes. I am grateful for t…

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to today's debate on this very important issue. Since the onset of the pandemic it became quickly apparent that domestic violence services were under intense pressure. Safe Ireland recently published a new report, Tracking the Shadow Pandemic, which affirmed this. The report showed that a total of 3,450 women and 589 children who had never contacted a domestic violence service before looked for support and safety from abuse and coercive control during the first six months of …

I welcome today's announcement of €50 million as a once-off Covid payment scheme for third level students. I acknowledge this funding, in addition to access support and additional supports for well-being and mental health, is very important. We can all agree students have experienced significant upheaval as a result of Covid-19 and this funding will provide some much-needed security at this difficult time. I also welcome that a review of SUSI has been announced. Many Deputies will agree the review is long overdue. …

I acknowledge the work of the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, in the early days of the Covid committee. She was one of a number of Deputies who were promoted. I then took up the mantle, which gave me my first opportunity as a new Deputy to experience the work of a committee. I am grateful for being one of the first substitutes on the committee. I will move on to serious business. Yesterday, the death toll from the virus surpassed 2,000 lives, a sad and sobering milestone for the country. Despite the positive sign…

Deputy Michael Moynihan has covered most of the basics on the issue. I am sure we are all familiar with the television advertisement featuring Daniel O'Donnell warning us to use only registered installers. While it is a funny advertisement, it has the important message encouraging people to use registered gas installers and not to get untrained or unregistered tradesmen to do these important jobs. In this House in recent weeks, we have seen the dangers of leaks, but nothing is more serious than a leaky or deficient…

I support what Deputy Michael Moynihan has said. I encourage the Minister of State to relay back to the Minister, Deputy Eamon Ryan, that he should contact the regulator in this regard. An increase from €1.80 to €3 does not sound significant, but to a plumber who might be doing 50 jobs a week, which is a conservative estimate and many plumbers could possibly be doing up to 100, it is a significant cost. The plumber will either have to bear the cost himself or pass it on to the consumer. Given the climate we are in,…

I apologise to the Minister because we are back to broadband again but I assume over the next few years the Minister will be well used to listening to various Deputies speak about it. The pandemic has highlighted the importance of good and reliable broadband to ensure all citizens can avail of remote working, education and other essential online services. Will the Minister outline the plans for and the fast-tracking of the national broadband plan? Will he make a statement on the matter of the roll-out of the nation…

I thank the Minister. My office has been inundated with broadband queries since the onset of this pandemic. My constituents are very frustrated. I often hear from households of five and six people where both parents are working from home and three or four children are trying to continue their studies online, both at second level and third level. It is nearly impossible for them to do this because of their poor Internet connection. I have made several representations to Eir and NBI but because many of these Eircode …

I welcome the comments of both the Ceann Comhairle and the Minister. It speaks volumes when the Ceann Comhairle expresses an opinion like that. One need only look at any Twitter account in regard to Eir's customer service. It is nearly legendary at this stage that people are dissatisfied with the level of customer service they receive from that provider in particular. The elephant in the room is the lack of information for so many people. Many of the requests are common to all of our offices weekly and many of the …

I raise the issue of the challenges facing the post office network. An independent report by Grant Thornton recently concluded that the network is at a critical juncture and the financial viability of the network is being challenged like never before. The report projects that the annual cost of running the post office network in 2021 will be €70 million and that it will generate a retail revenue of €53 million, leaving a €17 million shortfall. Can the Minister outline if he will give consideration to the recommenda…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. I appreciate that the Minister's Department is considering the Grant Thornton report, but we need to do more in the current climate, given the crisis we are experiencing now. This is an important issue, as acknowledged by the Minister. The post office is a vital service in many towns and communities throughout the country, particularly in rural areas. As the Minister has mentioned, during the Covid-19 lockdown the post office assumed the role of a social contact and provided a reassur…

I acknowledge what the Minister has said. I ask that both he and the Government continue to monitor the situation. It is imperative that we do all we can to support our post office services. I ask the Minister to comment briefly on the public service obligation model which is used in other countries throughout Europe, including France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Such a model was advocated in the Grant Thornton report. I acknowledge the role that An Post and its staff have played throughout the pandemic in being a…