I welcome the recent announcement in the budget for additional gardaí and administration staff. I expect it will go a long way to tackling the matter I wish to raise. What is the Government's position on tackling knife crime? What new initiatives will the Government undertake to address the matter?

Last year, there were more than 140 seizures of knives, shivs and other such weapons in Cork, up from 130 the previous year. I understand incidence may be down this year but nonetheless the trend in serious incidents of knife crime is obvious. Does the Minister of State have access to figures for this year for the number of crimes committed using a knife and the number of incidents where a knife has been seized, both in Cork and nationally? Will the Minister of State also clarify the Government's position on minimu…

I thank the Minister of State for the response. As I am sure he and others are aware, there have been a number of incidents in Cork city and county over the past 12 months in which particularly heinous crimes were committed with knives. Many of these incidents involved physical and sexual assault, as well as serious harm caused to victims. Will the Minister of State clarify if there is any intention to bring forward a knife amnesty for certain types of blades or other implements that could be taken off the streets,…

I want to raise the issue of CCCs. As the Minister is no doubt aware, in August 2019 an agreement between SIPTU and the city and county childcare boards of management for the regrading of city and county childcare managers was reached. It was concluded after extensive negotiations in which it was conceded that the existing pay scale for local authority grade 6 does not reflect the role, responsibilities or competencies of the city and county childcare managers, which dramatically changed since CCCs were established…

The Minister said he cannot provide a timeline. I take him at his word that he will continue to engage with us. I thank him for his response. He mentioned that there have been numerous meetings with boards of management and the unions. Has the Minister met them or does he intend to do so in the days, weeks or months ahead? Could he give a commitment to meeting them in the near future?

I thank the Minister for agreeing to engage with SIPTU. I appreciate that response. I am conscious that we are talking about 36 managers nationwide, which is a relatively small number. I take this opportunity to acknowledge that many people who work in this sector are among the lowest paid employees in the State. The Minister is probably aware that there is a fierce problem in retaining those staff as there is a high turnover of staff. I take this opportunity to raise with the Minister the urgent need to review pay…

I acknowledge that the budget was unprecedented, given that we are in unprecedented times and given there is a lot of uncertainty. One thing the budget brings to a lot of people and businesses is certainty. A few moments ago on the other side of the House it was suggested that there is still uncertainty but there are definite structures and announcements here, including for businesses, which are to be welcomed. The Covid pandemic has brought enormous challenges and every aspect of our society has been affected. The…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle. Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire inniu agus roimh an méid a bhí le rá aici mar gheall ar an tacaíocht atá á soláthar aici don earnáil seo. I spoke at length in the Dáil recently about the impact of Covid-19 on the aviation and travel industry in Cork. There is no doubt that the impact on the arts and culture sector has been just as detrimental and will last longer than that in many of the other sectors. In 2020, the recession in the arts sector will be between 34% and 42%.…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle agus cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. I greatly welcome the publication two weeks ago of the roadmap for living alongside Covid-19. Covid-19 has placed great demands on every one of us, as individuals, parents, families, workers and indeed business owners. The overall aim of this plan is to keep schools and crèches open in as many of these scenarios as possible. The Government prioritised that schools would remain open. We are all well aware that children depend crucially on ed…

I am sharing time with Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan. I welcome the Government's decision to invest an additional €600 million in health services this winter. Healthcare workers the length and breadth of the country have worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic and we are going to ask even more of them in the coming months. This investment will go some way towards supporting them as they care for their patients. The plan provides more hospital and community beds and significantly increased homecare support. Some …

I thank the Minister of State for taking this Topical Issue matter. Since I was elected as a councillor in 2014, I have encountered strong, resilient people and families and have had the privilege of getting to know them. Many of those people have suffered acute brain injuries and spinal injuries resulting from farm and road accidents and so on. It is with admiration that I look upon both those people who have suffered those traumas and their families. It takes much work, not just medically but also mentally, to ge…

I recognise the announcement this morning of the €7.8 million for assessment of needs. It is an issue on which the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has worked. Even when she was in opposition, she spoke of her desire to achieve that and clear the backlog in this area. The announcement is fundamentally important and needs to be acknowledged. The previous speaker acknowledged the Minister of State's visit to Carlow. I would like to acknowledge her recent visit to the Cope Foundation and St. Gabriel's special schoo…

I realise the Minister of State will not have much of the detail I require in his response to me in respect of Irish Water, which is the competent authority in regard to the issue I am about to raise. I still believe this issue needs to get a hearing today. The issues raised in regard to Carrigrenan wastewater treatment plant and Belgooly in west Cork which my colleague, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan, recently highlighted, are examples of a systemic failure in the ability of Irish Water to manage wastewater facilit…

I thank the Minister of State and appreciate the response but it raises a number of questions. Even the very fact the Minister of State’s answer has acknowledged that the plant is in breach of its nitrate emissions in terms of its licence since 2015, although it is not connected directly to odour and noise, is a recognition in itself of this and is not acceptable. Five years on Irish Water is still in breach of its licence, and nothing or very little is being done to remedy this. The second point is that capital in…

My question relates to the firm programme for Government commitment to increase the range of supports for after-school services and community hubs. In County Cork and my constituency of Cork North-Central, what plans does the Minister have to deliver these much-needed services?

The return of schools is very welcome for many parents who spent the last six months caring for children and continuing to work. It builds on previous work in reopening the early-years and childcare sectors. While this will allow more people to return to work should they wish to do so, many gaps in provision remain to be addressed in the provision of after-school and community services. This is particularly the case for single parents. By their nature, many of these after-school and community places are created on …

There is a concern with schools which needs to be addressed in the short to medium term. While the Minister for Education and Skills has confirmed that this opening is intended to support the reopening of after-school services, it is likely that many schools which might provide space for such a facility may not do so this year given public health concerns. Is the Department actively engaging with schools, which have previously provided after-school services, to ensure that these schools, where safe to do so, are pr…

The Minister and I were both formerly schoolteachers and we understand the challenges in terms of teacher shortages in education. This is a problem that predates Covid and the plan to reopen schools in September. I welcome the recent announcement the Minister made regarding 1,080 additional teachers for post-primary schools. Will she provide the House with details on how these posts will be made available to schools?

The shortage of teachers has a dramatic knock-on effect on students, teachers and the whole education system. Lack of sufficient qualified teachers and staff instability threaten students' ability to learn and reduce teachers' effectiveness. Teacher shortages at post-primary level need to be tackled in the context of growing student numbers. Every year as principals scramble to fill posts for the following September, we hear of shortages in particular subject areas. A Teachers Union of Ireland survey has found that…

Another issue arising with the introduction of these new posts is the timeline for the completion of training. It is welcome that induction training is to be provided to school staff ahead of reopening. Where that training is due to take place and in schools where teachers have just started in new posts, there is likely to be a period where they will have to adjust or acclimatise to their new settings. While the training is welcome, does the design of the training take into account the potential for those taking pa…