I have been told that the Business Committee has said speeches cannot be circulated any more for Covid reasons. That is what I was told by my own officials.

I assure Deputies that we will get it circulated by email afterwards. I apologise for that.

I would also like to pay tribute to parents and children. When the childcare providers and schools closed their doors in March, many parents were juggling working full-time while caring for their children at home. For children, growing up during the pandemic has meant missing school and friends. This has been a profoundly difficult time for everybody but both parents and children have shown real resilience and compassion since this crisis began. I am pleased that Government has been able to support providers since …

The most recent package provides for the measures to which I have just referred as well as a reopening grant to assist with the extra staffing costs and the purchase of cleaning and hygiene products. As we turn to the next phase of reopening from September onwards, I will be working with my Government colleagues on measures to continue to support the childcare sector in the period from 24 August onwards. I turn to the issue of investment in the early learning and childcare sector. The Government has clearly set out…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and Deputy Buckley for their kind words. I look forward to working closely with all Members of the House in my new role. I assure the Deputy of my commitment to young people and the youth sector which provides them with such critical support. I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. I am pleased to note that funding to the youth sector has been protected during the extraordinary challenges recently. This has enabled the youth sector to continue to provide supports to young pe…

I also like to think of myself as a fairly straight talker. I have come to the House with information my officials have just gathered. I would love to be in a position to say definitively that we will keep this service open but I cannot do that. To do so would be unfair to the Deputy and, more importantly, to the people who are using the services. The Deputy was a member of Cork County Council. I do not know if he was also a member of his local education and training board. I was a member of the ETB in County Dubli…

I join the other Members in paying tribute to Detective Garda Colm Horkan. His death reminds us that members of An Garda Síochána put themselves at considerable risk every day to keep our communities safe. It is particularly poignant to note that three other gardaí from Detective Garda Horkan's graduating class - Detective Garda Adrian Donohoe, Garda Eoin Fitzgerald and Garda Ambrose Fogarty - have lost their lives in the line of duty. In Ireland, we benefit greatly from having a police force who are focused on kee…

As Deputy Jim O'Callaghan noted earlier, the Offences against the State Act was created at a unique point in Irish history. It was introduced in response to a severe threat faced by the State and its provisions have been amended as that threat has evolved. We should welcome that this debate is taking place and that these provisions are subject to scrutiny. The provisions are exceptional and it is right that we examine whether they continue to be a necessary piece of our legal infrastructure in 2020. Fortunately, th…

I will take the time myself and leave a brief opportunity at the end for the Minister to answer a couple of questions. First, I pay tribute to the heroic work of those working on the front line to provide services for women and families fleeing domestic and gender-based violence during the Covid-19 crisis. It is also important to acknowledge the work of the Minister, his Department and especially An Garda Síochána during this period. I welcome the priority response An Garda has rolled out in the context of Operatio…

I was pleased to hear the Minister specifically reference the work of gardaí in Blanchardstown during the Covid-19 crisis. I would also like to pay tribute to them, particularly the support they have given to voluntary and sporting groups in the area in the context of Fingal's Community Call scheme. Under the current regulations, recruitment to An Garda Síochána is limited to those of 35 years or younger and the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland has recommended that this age bar be scrapped. The Minis…

I will put a number of questions to the Minister of State and give him an opportunity to respond. Before doing so, I join him and colleagues from across the House in recognising the huge work that members of the Defence Forces have done during the Covid-19 crisis, from the establishment of the early testing centres on naval vessels to their participation in contact tracing and their involvement across the country in the community call. We are all incredibly grateful for the steadfast work of members of the Defence …

I will hopefully give the Minister plenty of time to respond to my questions. I thank her for the response on the specific question on emergency rent supplement for those experiencing domestic violence. In my maiden speech some weeks ago, when we were beginning our response to the coronavirus pandemic, I flagged the issue of domestic violence as one we cannot forget. I give credit to the Department of Justice and Equality and State agencies, particularly the front-line providers. They introduced the Still Here camp…

In light of that fact that the kick-in time is when a liquidator is appointed, are there actions a Minister could take to intervene in future at that point when it is known that a liquidator is about to be appointed?

I thank the Minister for his statement. Does the Minister agree the Covid-19 crisis has further illustrated the fundamental problems that arise from the communal residential nature of direct provision as it is implemented in Ireland? In light of the potential of future waves of Covid-19 or variants of the virus, we need to move to accommodation centres that are based on own-door accommodation. With regard to Cahersiveen, as far as I am aware, there is currently public health guidance about the Skellig Accommodation…

I thank the Taoiseach for outlining the key conclusions from April's European Council meeting. I welcome the European Council's discussion of the joint European roadmap towards the lifting of Covid-19 containment measures. I also welcome the endorsement by the European Council of the Eurogroup's agreement on safety nets for workers, businesses and sovereigns. The maintenance of workers' incomes, either through wage subsidy schemes to keep jobs or through direct financial assistance, such as the pandemic payment in …

Is the Minister of State confident that any changes to the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, necessitated to fund the Covid-19 recovery will not negatively impact on the existing funding priorities for the Government such as CAP and the European green deal?

When the Taoiseach spoke this morning he warned against complacency in the battle against Covid-19. While the strong national response has been recognised by many, we have all heard of and seen situations where social distancing rules are not being adhered to. Up to now the public information campaign has been very much of a "let's all pull together" nature. Would the Minister consider bringing forward a harder-hitting advertising campaign to highlight the risks of not adhering to social distancing? I remember the …

Like other Deputies, I begin by offering my sympathies to the families of those who have lost loved ones due to Covid-19 infection. We can only begin to imagine what a difficult time it is for them. I also join Deputies in thanking the front-line workers who continue to make such huge efforts to contain the spread of this disease across the country. It is also important to acknowledge the efforts everybody is making in their lives to limit their interactions with others, practise social distancing and practise coco…

I am speaking to Part 6 of the Bill and the submission I made yesterday regarding items beyond the scope of the Bill. In considering Part 6, it is important that we acknowledge the significant role the Defence Forces play in times of crisis. Many of us have relatives who serve or have served in the Defence Forces and there is a huge sense of pride felt by the entire nation when we see them playing vital roles in international peacekeeping and rescue operations such as Operation Sophia in the Mediterranean and capac…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle. I have not. I ask the Minister for a quick clarification on the interaction of the wage subsidy with the working family payment. I would like to clarify if families, where one member is in receipt of the wage subsidy, will be able to maintain the working family payment.