The ever-increasing cost of rent creates an insurmountable financial barrier for many students. That is becoming increasingly obvious. In my constituency, there was a discussion on Midwest Radio today with students who are thinking about renting and doing up camper vans to allow them to go to the college of their choice. That is just plain wrong. The Minister spoke about available payments and supports, such as the PUP, but the fact is that for the student population those supports will not be there from September.…

Economic recovery in Mayo, the west and many other parts of the country relies on the roll-out of broadband. That is why we welcomed the €2.7 billion contract. There is a disconnect between the talk from the Government on the future of work and the potential of more remote working, and the reality on the ground in Mayo. In the first 18 months of the roll-out, only 4,378 homes and businesses have been reached out of a target of 115,000 and only 632 of these have actually been connected. Given that contractors were a…

Last November, I was delighted when the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, announced the establishment of an inquiry into the prescribing of valproate to pregnant women. This was a key point in a long and tortuous journey for mothers and families in their search for the truth about the now widely acknowledged impact of Epilim on their unborn children, including the setting up of the redress scheme in France and Baroness Cumberlege's report, First Do No Harm, in the UK. The inquiry was to uncover the truth of who knew what,…

"Of course, the overarching issue is going to be that of the budget ... We have to look at this against a backdrop where, in the past ten years, there has been a 20% drop in the income coming to Irish farmers from CAP ... It is crucial that a line be drawn under the matter and that those reductions be stopped. I do not believe any reduction in the next CAP will be acceptable." Those are the Minister's own words, which he spoke in 2018. He has failed to deliver. Farmers from Mayo are listening to the Minister say we…

I commend all the people who travelled to the protest today, particularly those from my county of Mayo. The unity between Donegal and Mayo over the years has been extraordinary. It has been many years since my colleague, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, and I raised this issue in the Seanad. At that time, nobody would listen. I commend the work of the action committees. These are my neighbours, friends and people I know. They are worn out by how they have been treated, by both the previous Government and this one. The Ministe…

I want to ask the Minister about businesses that have had their credit scores reduced during the Covid-19 pandemic and the potential impact this could have now on their ability to borrow. Given the extremely difficult year and a half we have been through, and the huge impact it had on many businesses as they have seen unprecedented restrictions on their ability to operate, what assurances can the Minister give to businesses and sole traders about their credit rating for the future?

I thank the Minister. I believe that misses the point a bit in terms of how extraordinary the situation is in which businesses found themselves. When we were at the beginning of the pandemic, absolutely suddenly and without warning, revenue streams were cut off from businesses. Yet, as the Minister knows, they had many fixed costs and bills they had to pay. Many businesses could not pay those bills at the time in way that they normally would. They found themselves, therefore, having to default on debt. What does th…

I appreciate what the Minister said. However, I have been contacted by business owners to say that, when they looked at their credit rating, they found it had been impacted because of their inability to meet bills, particularly at the beginning of the pandemic. This is something of which we need to be aware and on which we need a quick response to ensure every business that can will be able to stay open. Given the employment those businesses create and their importance for towns, small and large, and rural areas, w…

Businesses are seeing large increases in insurance premiums for attempting to claim business interruption support. I have been contacted by a number of business owners who have been quoted huge increases in their insurance premiums even though they have made no claims other than those for business interruption as a result of Covid. Are insurance companies increasing premiums for businesses that attempt to claim for business disruption? How widespread is this problem and what steps are being taken to protect vulnera…

I can give the Minister an example of why the insurance companies are completely ignoring both him and the Minister of State. A business local to Belmullet has seen its insurance premium go from €1,233 in 2020 to in excess of €4,000 in 2021. This is a small business with a small turnover. Those kinds of extortionate increases would be crippling at the best of times but to try to find that kind of money after seeing such long periods of closure is impossible for many. Insurance companies have not yet paid the busine…

I appreciate what the Minister is saying but it is of no use to the business in Belmullet that has seen the price of insurance increase by so much. It is already a scandal that insurance companies are trying to escape paying for business disruption, despite it being exactly the type of protection people in business pay for. We have seen the industry resist passing on any savings to people's motor insurance resulting from the lockdown, and we have seen insurance companies trying to deduct State supports from insuran…

I thank the Minister for taking this question. My concern is that we are in breach of the European equality Acts and directives on retirement ages in the EU by forcing senior members of the Garda to retire at the age of 60.

I would argue that it does not reflect the operational nature for a senior garda to be forced to retire at 60 years of age. The equality authority under the remit of the Minister's Department agreed that the State could face compensation claims from senior officers who have been forced to retire at the age of 60 instead of aged 63. Could the Minister clarify if that is the case? There is a precedent for the signing of a statutory instrument in this regard. Senator McDowell, as Minister, previously signed one for th…

I would argue that this almost creates an inequality within an inequality where some requests are granted and others are declined. It also makes no sense financially because we obviously have to pay pensions to senior gardaí when they retire. They may as well be working and having an output. I cannot, therefore, see the sense in that. I cannot see any impediments either. As I understand it, all associations and unions are in favour of extending the age limit. Perhaps the Minister could clarify that as well. Numerou…

I thank the Acting Chairman. I was not expecting my question to come up so soon. On the previous question, because of Covid-19 and everything that is happening, I do not know if there is provision to extend the current list, or for the Commissioner to be able to add other retirements on to that list, to deter experienced senior gardaí from retiring. My question is with regard to training in autism for An Garda Síochána.

I am pleased to hear the Minister's reply. My experience leads me to commend An Garda Síochána on its interactions with autistic people, including adults and teenagers. Garda members are often on the front line dealing with behavioural issues because of gaps left by the HSE and other organisations that are statutorily required to provide the supports that are needed. In my experience, it is often the case that the only interaction and support parents get is from An Garda Síochána. I am pleased that AsIAm will provi…

As the Minister knows, one in 60 children is born autistic. The supports required for those children are something for which we need to prepare. Where supports and services are provided in a timely way, we can have academic brilliance within that population, but there needs to be investment. We also need to invest in ensuring that behaviours relating to autism are understood. I will not say "dealt with" but "understood". If the Garda Síochána can have a better understanding across the board of autism and autistic p…

We have €915 million out of the €672.5 billion under the EU plan. That speaks for itself. We need to ask why we are getting such a small share of the cake. Distribution based on population, the 2019 GDP figures and the average unemployment rates do not reflect the reality on the ground in regard to health, housing, education or sustainable employment. Are we going to continue to use the live register to measure employment success? Are we going to tackle the issue of precarious employment conditions, zero-hour contr…

I commend my colleague and party finance spokesperson, Deputy Doherty, on bringing forward this Bill. He has provided an opportunity to all Oireachtas Members, from all parties and none, to demonstrate to the people who have been crucified by high insurance costs that this House is prepared to stand for fairness. Insurance companies have hidden for years behind the book of quantum. They have continually and consistently used the high cost of personal injury claims as cover for charging eye-watering premiums for com…

I will put it very succinctly to the Minister. We need a beef regulator, we need the 30-day rule abolished and we need the four-movement rule abolished immediately. They make no sense whatsoever. I thank Deputy Carol Nolan and the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward the motion, which is crucial for the people I represent in Mayo. Profits from small farms are passed on to local businesses, services, equipment manufacturers, suppliers, the construction industry and a myriad of supply companies and businesses…