In Limerick, people going out on their walks could go to the coffee trucks and the rest and get their cup of coffee. The licensing was not in place for these and they were all closed down because of licensing rules. We need to relax licensing rules for pop-up coffee trucks so people can go out for a walk and have a cup of coffee and so these businesses are supported.

Childcare providers are still in limbo and feeling vulnerable. Insurance is a huge issue for them, bouncing from Allianz at €7,800 to a broker for €5,170. That is just two quotes. These workers want to be escalated to level 6 and reclassified as essential workers because they are minding the children of front-line staff. In Ireland, there were 4,500 childcare facilities; there are now 1,923. They are at only 20% capacity, which is not sustainable. There needs to be proper consultation between the Government and ear…

Is that for an answer?

The answer was for me.

I have 30 seconds.

You are nothing but a coward.

If the Ceann Comhairle will indulge me for 30 seconds, I want to go on the record of the Dáil with regard to the previous debate. I had asked the Minister for Health to answer a question and we left him one and a half minutes in which to answer the question. The Minister sat in the chair with his head down. When he got up to answer my question, he started talking to another Deputy, completely ignoring the childcare workers in Ireland and the retired nurses who were asked to come forward for the vaccination programm…

I am delighted the Minister, Deputy O'Brien is here. The Land Development Agency is a way forward for building houses. The LDA, however, must work with the other agencies. Every city and small town in Ireland is looking for houses to be built. This cannot be random house building but a vision for a long-term view of the cities, towns and villages. Population is increasing and there is a demand now more than ever for green spaces for children and families where they live. We need the experience of the LDA, and I see…

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, up-to-date data and reports from those on the front line have shown that all types of violence against women, particularly domestic violence, have intensified. It is hard to believe that one in three women in Ireland is affected by domestic violence. It is not confined to class, age, sexuality, religion or disability. It has been named as the shadow pandemic. Some 243 million women and girls worldwide have experienced violence by a partner in the past year. Some of the contributing f…

On the face of it the shared equity scheme looks like it would be very welcome in the market. Anything that will help first-time buyers is welcome. I have been involved in construction all of my life. I can see the failure for many generations of not supplying houses in Limerick and the surrounding areas. When speaking to the Minister, Deputy Ryan, last week I told him that 60% of the towns and villages in Limerick have inadequate water supply and 73% have inadequate sewerage systems. I have previously mentioned As…

In County Limerick, seven branches are closing, in Abbeyfeale, Askeaton and Rathkeale in west Limerick, Bruff in east Limerick and three in the city. That leaves five branches in Limerick city and county. It is about time the Government stood up and said enough is enough. We bailed out the banks and now it is time to leave the services there. Three branches in west Limerick, one in east Limerick and three in the city are gone, which leaves five.

As a major shareholder, was the Government aware of Bank of Ireland's plans to significantly reduce its presence in the community? Was the Minister privy to this information regarding the closures before the sudden announcement on Monday? Does the Government support Bank of Ireland and its decision to close more than 100 branches? Is the Government's policy to support Bank of Ireland and these closures, which are concentrated more in rural locations than urban settings? Four bank branches are closing in County Lime…

I am going talk about the 2040 national development plan as it applies to the mid-west region. The plan was written in 2015. It is like a "once upon a time" story when one considers what is needed in Limerick. The plan later became the national development plan of 2019 and then the national framework, which is now the 2040 plan. I looked at the investment projects and programme tracker in advance of Leaders' Questions. MetroLink in Dublin is receiving €1 billion. The Luas cross-city initiative has received €500 mil…

I look forward to the investment in Limerick but, as I said, it is like a "once upon a time" story. The Minister is talking about everything but 73% of towns and villages have no infrastructure, sewerage or adequate water supplies while €4.5 billion is spent in Dublin. There are 25 other counties in the Republic of Ireland and the Government is spending billions in Dublin and throwing crumbs out to the other counties in the country. People will not be able to work in the areas the Minister is talking about. Askeato…

I raised this issue about peat last week and about straw being put back into the ground by farmers. They were relying on peat for bedding and now, because of the legislation the Government is trying to introduce to require farmers to put the straw back into the ground, additional pressure will be put on them. The last two speakers are 100% correct. This all goes back to the fact that the Government does not have a clue what it is doing.

I will share time with Deputy Michael Collins. There are many types of front-line workers and I draw attention to those front-line workers in the homelessness sector, where in many cases they work in a voluntary capacity. They are among the front-line worker heroes so I acknowledge and thank them for the work they do. This work is challenging at the best of times but especially now in times of Covid-19. In Limerick we are very fortunate to have several voluntary organisations helping the homeless. For example, ther…

I was second on the list yesterday. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle took down my name. Members have stood up here today who were behind me on the list yesterday. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae was first. I was second on that list. I was here at 9.30 a.m. Nine of us stood in a queue yesterday and Members have spoken before me.

I also want to highlight that the mass vaccination centre announced for Limerick is in County Clare. The racecourse in Limerick, which is off the motorway, was offered. The HSE called out and saw it but never got back to it. The greyhound track was offered but again it was not chosen. People from Kilbehenny, Galbally and Abbeyfeale will have to travel for an hour and then go outside the county bounds to a vaccination centre. Why is this when venues in County Limerick were offered? People came back to me and said it…

I agree with all of the speakers. If half an hour was designated for Questions on Promised Legislation only, with the Government business agreed and done outside of that half an hour, people in the rota would be able to get in. As I said earlier, I was second on the list but I was overlooked. I take it that I was overlooked and that is fine and I got an opportunity to come in. I was there at 9.30 a.m. yesterday and ten Deputies in the Chamber today said I was there but I was off the list for some reason. I accept m…

In August last year a company sent information to the Ceann Comhairle, who gave it to the superior officer, regarding a high-performance air cleaner. We have constantly said we are looking for more time to talk in a safer environment and way. The officials did their job and reverted to the company that manufactured the high-performance air cleaner. The Government has sat on this since September. A quote for 40 units was sought. I will not mention the company's name because it would not be fair to do so. The Governm…