This is an important and timely debate on the need for the HSE to approve the staffing submission by the Regional Hospital Mullingar for the new MRI unit. I wish to take this opportunity to acknowledge the assistance of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, in the increased funding for the new outpatient department, on which work commenced several weeks ago. More than six years ago, a commitment was given by the HSE to the Friends of Regional Hospital Mullingar that if it fundraised and provided for the…

It is important the people who need it can get a local service but apart from that, it is value for money. We are spending more than €500,000 a year on taxis and transport costs to bring them to other hospitals that are already under pressure. This is very much needed and I have acknowledged that the Government invested significantly in Regional Hospital Mullingar in the MRI build and the outpatient department, in which the Minister took a personal interest. We are fortunate, which the Minister of State acknowledge…

-----and there is also such a need for parking for the patients who come to get their treatment in the hospital.

The report into the secondment of the former Chief Medical Officer was published yesterday. The Government has had the benefit of this report for a number of months. Will the recommendations of the report be implemented to ensure appointments such as this in future will be done in a structured, open and transparent way? Will there be any consequences for the failure to implement established protocols?

Some do.

I move: That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to compel local authorities to provide members of the public and public representatives with substantive replies to written communications within a prescribed period of time and to allow for local authority chief executives to appear before the Public Accounts Committee of Dáil Éireann. In introducing this Bill, I wish to put on record my appreciation for local authority staff, particularly those in Longford-Westmeath, with whom I deal frequently, an…

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

It must be acknowledged that these women were very courageous in coming forward to speak of their experiences of bullying, sexual harassment and misogyny in the Defence Forces. It is important these experiences are never allowed to occur again and that there needs to be a cultural change within the Defence Forces. Deputy Fitzpatrick spoke earlier about his positive experiences in three years in the Defence Forces, but that was obviously not the experience of all. It is important to ensure the Defence Forces is a pl…

I thank the Tánaiste for the reply. I very much welcome that he has confirmed that he is willing to meet the Women of Honour prior to publication. That is critically important. The Women of Honour have stated that "we are here, ready and available to work with them towards effective change and tangible solutions in a collaborative and restorative manner." They want to be part of the solution and have to be part of the solution. Critical for that is for the Tánaiste and his office to engage with them prior to public…

What action is being taken in regard to the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces that the future disposition of the structures of the Army be regionally balanced-----

That is the question I am asking.

That is correct, yes.

I will keep it tight.

I thank the Minister. The high-level action plan had a number of recommendations. The Government accepted two and partly accepted a third, namely that the future disposition and structure of the Army be regionally balanced. Why has the Government only partially accepted this or accepted it in principle? The Commission on the Defence Forces was established because on coming into government our party recognised there was a decade of underspend in the Defence Forces and we needed to increase spending and modernise the…

The Minister has visited a number of barracks since he took up his role as Minister for Defence. We would welcome him to Custume Barracks in Athlone. Given its central location and the fact it was the headquarters for the Western Brigade prior to its disbandment, it is an ideal location for a regional Army headquarters. We would welcome the Minister there so he could see the fine barracks and how it would be an ideal location.

The Government took a decision to introduce a €1,000 Covid-19 recognition payment for people who worked on the front line. Obviously, that was a very positive and welcome decision. Unfortunately, however, there are still thousands, if not tens of thousands, of people who have yet to receive this payment. There are anomalies between certain regions. In my region, the people who worked in the registry office for births, marriages and deaths are not being paid the recognition payment, but the people in the neighbourin…

I wish all my female colleagues and all the women I know a very happy International Women's Day. Today is about celebrating the role women play in our lives. We have heard about the very important role they play in so many aspects of our lives. People have spoken about very famous women who have gone before us. I am very fortunate to be able to speak about the most positive female role model I have had, and that is my mother. She worked full-time in teaching for 41 years of her life. She had 12 children and worked …

I welcome the opportunity to contribute on the Bill and I wish the Minister of State well in her new role. There are many positive aspects to the Bill but, as she said, I would like to see a vision for where we would like to see the credit union movement go for the next decade or so. Undoubtedly, credit unions are an integral part of every one of our communities. We all know the important role that they play in serving the community. My own credit union in Mullingar was the main sponsor for the Fleadh Cheoil last y…

A Programme for Government: Our Shared Future contains a commitment to continue to invest in new road infrastructure to ensure that all parts of Ireland are connected. This is critically important from a regional development perspective. The Taoiseach will know the work both of us did in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in the context of preparing the regional enterprise plans for the north west and the west. Key to this was ensuring that part of Ireland was connected. Last week, the funding for r…

We welcomed that intervention. The then Taoiseach, Deputy Micheál Martin, intervened as well.