I am glad that the Minister of State is here to hear what I am going to say because it has all to do with her own part of the world and I know that I am speaking to the converted. The probability of receiving a timely diagnosis of cancer and of surviving the disease differs substantially across Europe. Because of the major inequity in the access to cancer diagnostics and treatments, the chances of surviving cancer are reduced in the west of Ireland relative to the rest of the country and Europe. That is a fact. The…

I would like to raise with the Taoiseach a very important issue in regard to the Government's plan to make a once-off tax free €1,000 bonus payment to front-line healthcare workers and the concerns that not all of our front-line workers will be included in this bonus payment. Take, for example, a letter I received from Ability West in Galway which provides services right across the region. It stated that it is with great shock that it is beginning to realise that section 39 disability service providers will potenti…

I thank the Taoiseach for the comprehensive reply. I welcome the fact this payment is being made. I reiterate that section 38 service providers, like Ability West, should have their front-line workers included. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, said that this payment will be for everyone who was on site, involved, and had to be around patients. The Tánaiste, Deputy Varadkar, said that healthcare staff wearing gowns and masks, who were exposed in Covid-19 in clinical settings, should receive special recognition. Organi…

What progress has been made on the plans to develop the new single campus for a newly amalgamated national school in Tuam, County Galway? What progress has been made on the Educate Together national school, which is seeking a permanent home? It is in its seventh year in existence in the town and is doing very well.

I thank the Minister for that very positive news for Tuam. It is great news that the Educate Together school will receive a new facility on the same campus as Trinity National School and both schools will be delivered as one project. It is important for the town of Tuam. It is also important for the town's development that we have this single campus because then we can look after some of the transportation needs, including the inner relief road required in the town. This is now being devolved. Will the Minister est…

I also acknowledge the Archdiocese of Tuam for its work in facilitating this project to take place. It is important also to acknowledge the work of the Minister's predecessor, Deputy McHugh, who set the train in motion in getting what the Minister herself rightly described as a fantastic new education facility for Tuam. It is very important as well that we move to the design stage as quickly as possible because Galway County Council has plans to do some roads and modify some works in terms of traffic management wit…

I welcome the opportunity to engage with the Minister of State on this very important subject for rural Ireland. I was in the Department in the previous Government when the contract was signed and I supported it wholeheartedly because it is going to be a game changer for Ireland in the context of regional development. I still stand over the fact that if we had not signed the contract then, there are 55,000 connections that would not have been made now. There are issues with the project. It is a large, seven-year co…

It is a source of concern that the infrastructure is not to the required standard. I understand that as part of this contract, nearly €1 billion will be given to Eir for the use of its infrastructure. The contract is for €2.1 billion, plus a contingency that brings it closer to €3 billion and of that, more than €900 million is going to Eir for the use of its existing infrastructure. Let us call a spade a spade here. It is time for Eir to wake up and smell the roses. It must come to the table because it is getting a…

The Minister of State mentioned other providers and low-lying fruit. I can vouch for that. In my town of Tuam a company came in and put in fibre-optic broadband. It did housing estates and so on but the centre of the town has not been done because the company encountered a few problems and decided it would not do it. I am six months trying to even get them to communicate with me. The centre of the town has no fibre-optic connection but we have it on the housing estates. That is great for the housing estates but it …

First, I take this opportunity thank the Labour Party for tabling this important motion for us to debate here in the House. I am glad the Minister is present. It is important that we speak openly about what is happening at the moment. In my constituency of Galway East, there is a huge amount of angst over the fact that fuel prices are going up. The reason for this angst is that the car is the essential mode of transport for many people in the constituency. It is important to point out that the carbon tax is driving…

I wish to raise a very important issue in relation to Benefacts. The board of this non-profit analysis company has announced that due to the termination of support from its lead Government funder, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, its seven-year project to transform the transparency and digital accessibility of Ireland's €14 million non-profit sector will cease in February 2022. I think it is important to point out that many reasons are being given for this, but no Department seems to want to take th…

Some of our citizens have gone to their graves without finding their families or ever receiving from the State the most basic information many of us take for granted, such as knowing the family of our birth, heritage and medical history, which can literally save a life. I am happy to take the opportunity to speak on this important Bill. Survivors from the Tuam Mother and Baby Home Alliance who contacted me are anxious that all persons are treated with the same dignity and respect afforded to all other citizens. Acc…

I am sharing with Deputy Tóibín, if he arrives to the Chamber.

I will have a go at it. I thank the Minister and Minister of State for bringing forward the legislation, which is overdue because we have seen many issues in the construction industry, some of which have been the result of poor certification and workmanship with no real or effective engagement in how we take care of things when buildings are constructed, whether they are houses, public buildings or whatever. We have seen over the years issues with pyrite and now mica. There are also legacy issues relating to fire c…

I want to be associated with the remarks about the staff and everybody in the House all year. I have a question on the unprecedented rise that has happened and is happening in the cost of construction materials. Building suppliers are getting daily notifications of price increases coming in January. Building contractors who are building some of the 30,000 homes the Tánaiste mentioned for local authorities throughout the country are trapped in a fixed-price contract. They cannot recover any of these increases. Latel…

What we have here before us is simply a Bill for the prevention of cruelty. I will, therefore, appeal to all Deputies, including those who support legal abortion, to join in voting for this Bill, which merely shows a measure of compassion for unborn children at a relatively disadvantaged stage in their prenatal development. I can see no legitimate ground for objecting to it. In fact, some will say the Bill does not go far enough. It only requires pain relief where, first, there are reasonable grounds for believing …

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. Like the previous speaker from the Regional Group, I look at this and ask what is broad consensus and how would you define it. We could have broad consensus on anything, but do we have the proof that there actually is broad consensus? We could take a stance on different issues, but at the end of the day we must talk about animal welfare and how animals are treated and protected. If fur farming, which is the focus of this Bill, is to close down, how will the people who…

In the absence of Deputy Tóibín, I will step in. I welcome the opportunity and I thank my Regional Independent colleagues for introducing this important motion. Having listened to the Minister's speech, it is clear that he is aware of what we are all trying to achieve here. He repeatedly talked about what will happen in the future. The thrust of our motion is that if we are to create the offshore renewable energy dynamic that the country needs, we need to ensure we start now. The one thing we should learn from the …

I thank both Ministers for their positive reaction to our motion. It is important also that they have taken on board the Sinn Féin amendment, which also ties in with what we are saying. I will recap on some of the comments by speakers. I thank every speaker for the positive contributions, as the Minister of State has alluded to. It is important to have sustainability in what we are doing into the future. Sustainability means that we do things right and in a way that Ireland Inc will benefit from this. It is importa…

I thank Sinn Féin for tabling the motion, which gives me an opportunity to speak on it. On a night like tonight when we have a storm, it is appropriate that we are talking about people who are on standby and waiting to help out if there is a need in the case of an emergency arising. They are probably out there taking care of emergencies at the moment. We must reflect on the fire service and what it does right across the country every day of the week. I commend the Department, the Minister and the former Minister, E…