I hope the Minister is not going to sell out the beef sector and the Irish farmers as he has just sold out the fisheries. I have huge concerns over the fact that beef cattle are now averaging €3.75 per kg. This is well below the break-even target figure of €4.50 per kg. I am aware that we are in the middle of a pandemic and many people are working from home. Our farmers are working from home 365 days a year. Beef farmers are a long way short of breaking even. Is the Minister aware that some farmers are using a perc…

I cannot hear the Minister.

The report of the mother and baby homes commission of investigation failed when it concluded that women who entered the homes after 1973 were to be excluded from the statutory redress. The report was never about compensation or redress. It is about recognition of the unnecessary feeling of stigma that women such as Alice McEvoy suffered. She spoke passionately in The Irish Times . She said she does not need the money but she knows many others who do. She said it was appalling that the authors excluded those in the …

I wish to start by wishing the Tánaiste and his family and all my colleagues in the Houses of the Oireachtas a happy and safe new year. That goes for all the people around Ireland. The time since Christmas has been difficult, with Covid-19 resulting in 172 people in intensive care and 17,000 hospitalised over Christmas. Before moving on to my questions to the Tánaiste, I wish to acknowledge and express my deep shame about what happened to the mothers, babies and children in the mother and baby homes. This wrong can…

I agree with every sentiment the Tánaiste has expressed. Would I be right in saying that it is not okay for one of his Ministers of State to come out and call people who were seeking medical advice and asking questions cowardly? His Minister of State representing Limerick came out and stated in a newspaper that people who ask questions are cowardly. That is completely wrong. I am asked questions every day and I give advice to the best of my ability. Then I direct and encourage people to go and get the proper advice…

I cannot let this day go without complimenting the Limerick team on winning the All-Ireland. I compliment Mr. John Kiely, the 36 members of his panel and the background team on such an historic achievement for Limerick during a pandemic. I thank them for that. I also thank Mr. J.P. McManus and his family for believing and investing in Limerick. I am a very proud Limerick person.

I thank the Deputy. We are discussing the roll-out of a vaccine. I am not anti-vaccine, but I want the public to be given information so that if people have concerns and questions, they can be addressed. People should not be dictated to or threatened into taking the vaccine. I have publicly stated that, when the vaccine is available to me, I will seek medical advice from my own GP on when the right time to take it is. Our main problem is the information that is being provided to the public. In recent weeks, Christm…

I did not do that - the Minister did. However, when people have questions about the vaccine or they have concerns because they have suffered from depression, anxiety or so on, the Government tries to push something on them and is using the media to shove it down people's throats like a police state. Ireland is a free country and people are entitled to ask questions about what is going into their bodies. I am not anti-vaccine, but I am a curious person and I would like to know and understand what I am taking and to …

I will begin with cross-border initiatives. When I was elected to Dáil Éireann I was lucky enough to get involved in a group, along with Deputy Michael Collins, that helped me to transport people from Limerick to Belfast for cataract surgery. Today I heard the Taoiseach saying that he does not know if this will continue after Brexit. He could not give us a definite answer on that. I asked earlier this week about the management of our hospitals. If the proper structures were in place, we would not have to bring peop…

I am sharing time with Deputy Mattie McGrath. The Aarhus Convention highlights the importance of public consultation and transparency. I would like to speak about the lack of consultation in an oral hearing, which was held virtually, involving Irish Cement Limited at Castlemungret and the Environmental Protection Agency. Is the Minister aware that the objectors were kept in a virtual holding room prior to giving their statement? Does that seem fair? In Limerick, the biggest infrastructure project is the M20 motorwa…

I like to simplify things and I will put things into perspective for the Minister. I will use the GAA as a model to do statistics from a rural point of view. I refer to the Minister's good friend, John Cregan, who is the chairman of the county board in Limerick, where we won an All-Ireland this year. These statistics will show us the fall-off in people playing sport in rural clubs. Two parishes had to join to form the club close to me, which is Granagh-Ballingarry. Going across the N20, there is Shamrock Gaels, whi…

I am speaking to the amendment.

I am not straying at all. If it was not for J.P. McManus, St. Joseph's Foundation would not exist in rural Ireland. We would not have half of the infrastructure we have in Limerick but for that person. No Government has ever-----

I will. People from the private sector are investing in Limerick to make a difference. They are putting in place in Limerick services that should be provided by the Government. That is the point I am making. Under the current plan, there will be no housing or infrastructure development in places like Limerick. It is an awful pity that we have to depend on people from the private sector for services that the Government should be providing. That point is relevant to the legislation we are debating now.

We are debating the 2040 plan.

Yes, I know that.

That is fine. I have made my point, namely, that I am entitled to live in a rural setting just as other people are entitled to live in a city. If that means I am out of order, I will sit down now.

When the Deputy comes and employs people in our county, we will talk to him.

I want to pull the Minister up on one of the points he made. He said that he does not believe anyone will be alienated by the proposed public consultation process. The public consultation on the N20-M20 project, as the Minister knows, is under way at the moment. Due to the general data protection regulation, GDPR, requirements, letters could not be sent out to 5,000 householders to let them know the routes that were involved. There was a flyer-type system for getting the information out to households but it went to…

I welcome the introduction of this legislation by Sinn Féin. That party is trying to give dignity to those who are about to be evicted through no fault of their own. The Bill highlights the crisis that happens before a person is made homeless. While I acknowledge the noble sentiment behind it, the problem is bigger than provisions to safeguard people before they are made homeless. There is a great need for support from county councils for those who are about to be evicted. I am sure that homelessness is at the top …