I really appreciate the Minister's response. Will he provide me with a very quick answer with regard to the necessity for a multi-agency approach to fire response or an updating of plans for dealing with forest fires?

I want to take these questions over and back and I beg forgiveness in respect of the first one. A place the Tánaiste might know well is the Border area around the Cooley Peninsula, particularly as he has attended many Brexit events in recent years. Unfortunately, this area has been hammered in recent days with fires in Annaloughan. A huge number of people in the Jenkinstown and Lordship areas are worried. The forests in the area are owned by Coillte, which has helicopters in the area. The problem is that Louth Coun…

Coillte has its own contract and its own helicopter so at least that is in play at the minute. However, Louth County Council has submitted a request to the Air Corps. There is a technical difficulty but I hope we can get the matter sorted as quickly as possible. It is probably something that needs to be looked at into the future so that this problem does not arise again.

I appreciate that. A number of Members have already asked the Tánaiste whether he has had contact with the US Embassy. Does the Government have plans to talk to the Trump Administration? Everybody was shocked and sickened by what happened to George Floyd. Ireland knows about the huge difficulty and anguish that can be caused for communities by the use of tear gas and rubber and plastic bullets. This is not something we want to see. I am sure everyone would be in agreement that there has been poor leadership, which …

I accept that. I think it was-----

We are back into Brexit deadlines. We have the withdrawal agreement, the Irish protocol and the difficulty with the June deadline, which will be followed up by the 31 December deadline. I think the belief is out there that the British Government is not willing to extend. An awful lot of the supports we had for businesses have now been repurposed for Brexit. While that was right, what are the plans into the future as to what can be done? Then we have the possibility again of a no deal. What is the Government willing…

Would it be possible for me, a Cheann Comhairle, to take my questions now? I do not wish to be difficult but it would make things a bit easier.

I will be very fast. Deputy Gould trusts me implicitly.

Partition is the gift that does not stop giving, or should I say, taking. It has been put on the record that many Northern workers have not been able to avail of the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP. We are obviously talking about people who have paid USC and PRSI in the South. Some of them have only worked in the South, which creates a difficulty with seeking benefits in the North. Luckily, due to the wage subsidy scheme and many good employers, a lot of people have been sorted, but a number of people fall into …

Was a directive changed or was that a mistake on the part of the person who spoke to me? Perhaps the Minister could answer in writing. I would also like an answer to the specific question about someone who falls under the aegis of EU Regulation No. 883/2004. By my reckoning, the worker I have mentioned should be able to avail of this payment on the basis that she cannot get a benefit in the North and cannot avail of the Covid-19 wage subsidy scheme in the South despite having her own firm there. She is self-employe…

I wish to raise two issues with the Minister. First, the sadness and devastation of suicide has touched our community in Dundalk this week, with the death of a young man I knew. I express my sincere sympathies to his family and friends. Unfortunately, it is a situation that has been endured by families in Louth and throughout the country for many years. The message needs to be that suicide leaves nothing but pain and unanswerable questions. Often, it is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. The pressure peop…

Before I start, I welcome Gerry Adams's just result in court in relation to the sorry story of the British policy of internment in Ireland. We will live with the Covid-19 virus for a long time, but the viruses that many of us have been living with for far longer are drugs and organised crime. Last Saturday, I saw for myself the horrific results of this pandemic when I received a call to say that in Muirhevnamore in Dundalk, approximately 1 km from my home, a young man was lying dead at the back of two houses that h…

I want to deal with the tragic situation at Dealgan House Nursing Home in County Louth, about which I have written to the Minister. Staff in Dealgan House have at times been working in nightmare conditions and continue to do their very best to care for the residents, some of whom they see as family, and I want to pay tribute to them. According to figures that have been shown to me in the last few days, 26 people have died in this nursing home and they are believed to have died from Covid-19. These are mothers, fath…

I have one minute left.

That is fair enough. I just want a direct answer in regard to the RCSI timeline and what conditions will have to be met before it leaves.

Gabhaim buíochas ó chroí le toghthóirí dáilcheantair an Lú, a chur muinín i Sinn Féin nuair a toghadh mé féin agus an Teachta Imelda Munster don Dáil seo. Ní ligfimid síos iad. The Covid-19 crisis has visited suffering and sadness on many and our thoughts are with these families. It has also forced us to look at how we organise our lives, work and society. We realise we can do better, from remote working to introducing universal healthcare for all, from cradle to grave and really tackling the climate crisis. Even d…