I have no difficulty whatsoever with that. It has already been said by a number of Members that the legislation is largely an exercise in tidying up and facilitation, which we obviously support. There are questions over proxy votes and such. Deputies Doherty and Mairéad Farrell and others spoke about the fact that the Minister probably needs to look at a number of these matters and, possibly, some of the legislation and ensure that we have everything right and that we have the correct levels of accountability and p…

Tá áthas orm deis a bheith agam labhairt ar an ábhar seo. As many Members have stated, we find ourselves in a different situation this year. A large number of people who would never have thought they would be obliged to do so have had to avail of social protection. Many people look on the supports required from the State in a different way. We have seen what we need, along with the weaknesses in the health service. Whereas before some people may have believed in the broken health service we have, the idea of a prop…

Several speakers mentioned that in discussing risk equalisation, we are dealing with another failure in regard to healthcare provision. The entire Covid period has shown up the many weaknesses in our systems, including the healthcare system. At least the conversation has moved on. In fact, it had already moved on prior to the election. When we talk about Sláintecare, we are talking about the need for a national health service. We would like to think that any such system would be designed on an all-Ireland basis. We…

Student nurses should be paid, particularly when they do essential necessary work and at a point in time when there are unable to work in other health settings. Now that the Government has made its decision, I welcome that some can avail of the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP. I also welcome that there will be a review of allowances. Third year nursing and midwifery students in the Dundalk Institute of Technology, DkIT, brought this to my attention. Would it be possible for this review as it relates to allowance…

Can the payment be made upfront?

In order that the allowance could be paid faster.

A number of speakers from Sinn Féin have already said how we support this motion. Although I do not think the Minister needed to have it pointed out, they have also put on the record that we were not necessarily supportive of it previously, in the sense that we saw deficiencies in infrastructure and housing, which are major issues that need to be dealt with. The fact is that it is a rainy day fund and it would be madness to put money into a rainy day fund at this point when we are in the middle of a flood and need …

The French system at Calais has not allowed for an exemption for Irish goods exported through the land bridge in Britain. Multiple contingency issues will need to be dealt with but the Tánaiste might comment specifically on that one. I will not get into the ins and outs of the difficulties with regard to the port tunnel and the possibility of using it as a car park for the port.

Go raibh maith agat, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle. I appreciate the opportunity to speak. It should not take seven minutes to say what I need to say; it should not even take three. I have to agree with much of what has already been said in this Chamber. I am speaking in support of amendments Nos. 72, 76 and 77. It is straightforward; carbon tax is a regressive tax. It has already been said that we are screwing over people who are the most susceptible. We are talking about the poorest people in rural Ireland who do not h…

I must agree with much of what has been said today. If we base our thoughts on statements made in the past while, we seem to be looking at the crux of Brexit. We hope Mr. Barnier can deliver a deal. The National Audit Office in Britain has basically stated that there has been insufficient preparation, with insufficient systems put in place, and with nothing on the cards but chaos. We will have our own issues here. Earlier today we saw representatives from a number of port companies appear before the transport commi…

I thank the Tánaiste for his clarity in stating that there will not be a ban on cross-Border travel. The Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, has stated that the outlook for the environment in Ireland is not good unless all sectors are addressed. I would like to discuss Irish Water. There are 113 priorities for dealing with pollution. Raw sewage is being pumped into the water in 35 towns and villages, including Omeath. There are no plans to deal with 33 of these until after next year. This is not on. What interact…

It has already been said that this issue is absolutely straightforward. We have been dealing with Brexit and we all realise there is no good Brexit for Ireland. We have looked at mitigation, which is what the withdrawal agreement and the Irish protocol are about. We hope that we will have them. What we have here is hauliers who are currently operating with recognised CPC qualifications that will not be recognised post Brexit. We have to introduce sensible solutions and mitigations. We also need to deal with the res…

I thank the Minister of State for her response. We also need an answer on the related issue of residency. Like Deputy McHugh, I obviously put this completely down to our interaction at the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs yesterday. The constituent of mine who approached me on this issue thanks the Minister of State and me, as well as Deputy McHugh for the small part he played in my game.

I commend Deputy Ward on bringing forward this Bill. I agree with a lot of what has been said about the parity of esteem required in respect of mental health services and dealing with mental illness. I also accept that the issue is not necessarily straightforward. It involves some of the difficulties we deal with every day. There is the question of whether someone has an actual diagnosis. Some people are told they do not have a mental illness but rather a behavioural difficulty. We need clarity. Certain terminology…

I am in complete agreement with everything that has been said about the amendment. It was tabled by my colleague, Deputy Munster, who felt strongly, like a number of the other speakers, that now is not the time, under the guise of Brexit legislation, to hammer the tourism industry. As has been noted by many other Deputies, we are going through a brutal pandemic. There have been attempts by the Government, and proposals from the other side of the House, to provide necessary sectoral supports and actions, and tourism…

Once again, it has all been said. The Minister is halfway there in regard to accepting it is a good idea to have a review. Nobody is absolutely clear, including himself, in regard to the outworkings of this. Our belief is still that it could be detrimental to the tourism industry that has been absolutely hammered up to this point. If there is some mechanism whereby this is not dealt with now and is postponed so it can be reviewed and dealt with somewhere else, I believe that is the right thing to do. That would all…

It has already been said by many that our numbers are still too high. We have had the terrible news of six more deaths in the past 24 hours, which means there have been 2,028 deaths during this entire period. It is an absolute tragedy for a huge number of families. There is a severe impact on our lives and our economy. We all have to do what we can to bring the numbers down, particularly as we are looking at opening up. A major emphasis has to be on test, trace and isolate. We all welcome the fact that there has be…

It has already been said that we have outdated income levels. We need this review. We need to ensure we have reasonable income levels. We have people who are caught in the middle and they are suffering. We need affordable cost-rental, affordable mortgages and council houses. We need to take into account not only income levels but also that people have increased costs. I am talking about people who may have children with serious mobility issues or a disability. I have in mind one particular issue that has come to my…

I am somewhat surprised and glad. It is much appreciated. It has already been said that there are eligibility issues. The income levels simply do not cut it. In fairness, it has been said in the House that people may find themselves in situations where the family income supplement or something else puts them a little above the criteria. We need to have some element of flexibility. I have spoken about the situation that some people find themselves in. Combined with low incomes that may be a little over the threshold…

Many speakers referred to the belief or perception - some would call it a fact - of there being a cosy cartel between politics and developers, the insurance lobby and anybody who has connections to people in power. That perception is not helped by the situation concerning Mr. Justice Séamus Woulfe and the golfgate event. There is also the situation of the former Ministers of State at the Department of Finance, Brian Hayes and Michael D'Arcy. None of that helps in any way, shape or form. I join colleagues in commend…