I concur with the remarks of Deputy Lowry on those aged over 66. It is very important that we do not leave out these people as they have surely contributed a huge amount. At the beginning of Covid they lost out in their businesses and were put to the pin of their collar to try to survive. They deserve more than this. I want to raise a number of issues with regard to the budget. As we know, the LEADER programme, which is a rural development programme for Ireland, will finish on 31 December. Over the past five years,…

I thank the Rural Independent Group for its vision in bringing forward this motion. I will start by referring to my constituency, Galway East, and the Gort lowlands, Portumna, Kinvara, Loughrea, Athenry and Claregalway. We have had flooding right across the constituency. We have a unique landscape in Galway East, with many turloughs. Much work has happened in the last four years to alleviate this problem. The scheme at Dunkellin is coming towards a conclusion. It is a drainage scheme that was on the cards for 40 or…

I was over there in the Minister of State's position in 2016. The arguments being made now were being made then. In the Galway East constituency, we started the Dunkellin flood relief scheme in 2016. The Official Report will show it was discussed in the House in the 1940s between Members from the constituency who knew how to do it. However, it did not get done until 2016. Sometimes things move a lot slower than we would like. I am delighted to speak on this Bill. It brings into focus an issue on which I worked when…

I spoke last night on this issue. We have had a very reasonable discussion about it. I am disappointed with the Minister's statement that he will not accept any of the amendments. Democracy was shown by the Members who spoke last night and again today. Passion has been shown. I doubt that anybody wishes to do anything other than the right thing. I appeal to the Minister to consider in the next few hours what we have been saying. We must do this right and we must do it for the right reasons. I accept that he wants t…

I move: That Dáil Éireann: recognises: — that transactions within the post office network are down by an estimated 25 per cent due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which heightens the serious viability challenges facing the network; and — the need to put the post office network on a sustainable operational and financial footing in line with the Cabinet decision in 2017; and calls on the Government to: — designate the post office network as the ‘offline gateway’ of choice for citizens availing of State services due to its …

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak on this emotive issue. We have been listening all evening to Deputies' contributions. This is an emotional debate. It should be non-political and an issue on which we should all work together. I come from just outside Tuam and I went to school in the town. I know many of the people who live near the Tuam mother and baby home. We have a lot of media attention on Tuam but it is not about Tuam; it is about what happened in a particular institution. Many people who lived in th…

I agree that the mother and baby homes commission is a sensitive matter for a lot of people. We should not trivialise or try to short-circuit the matter. I have never heard so many people worried about a Bill. We have not had time to go through it properly. It is important that we dedicate time to debate it in a sensible way because it is such a sensitive issue for so many people. It is such a major issue for so many people and we need to show respect. The State has apologised. The optics of what we are trying to d…

In light of the lockdown, there is an ongoing issue with community employment, CE, supervisors and their claim for support and recognition. These are people who will be on the front-line dealing with people who are in isolation and living alone and creating the community effort over the next six seeks to ensure that everything is right in the communities. I would welcome the Taoiseach's thoughts on when the Government might bring a conclusion to the matter of pension rights or some form of recognition for these sta…

I am delighted to have an opportunity to speak on the budget, which I consider to be a wartime budget. It is a situation we never thought we would have to face. The level of spending is remarkable. My first concern relates to the complete absence of a medium-term plan for the next five years. In essence, the State is working in the dark with no clear direction of travel. The programme for Government envisaged a fiscal strategy being produced with this budget, but that is not happening. Although Brexit and Covid-19 …

The last few questions have been about Covid but I wish to discuss the situation of school secretaries, who did enormous work over the past six months to ensure the reopening of our national and secondary schools, which is one of the best achievements during Covid so far. Over 1,000 school secretaries are not being treated equally in their pay and conditions of employment. Will the Government enter into meaningful discussions in the Labour Court, as agreed by the former Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Joe…

There are a number of issues here. The Tánaiste talked about engagement and it is important that engagement takes place. It has been a year since the then Minister for Education and Skills agreed to enter into engagement with school secretaries. The offer made by the Department was for a pay rise, but what the school secretaries want is equality in their pay, terms and conditions. This issue has not been addressed by officials from either the Department of Education and Skills or the Department of Public Expenditur…

I am delighted the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has been appointed to this area of responsibility. She is a colleague of mine in the Galway East constituency. She has taken on a role in which, from her own experiences she knows well, there are many challenges. I also look forward to working with the chair of the disabilities committee, Deputy Moynihan. I look forward to working with all in a proactive way to ensure we make changes that will improve the lives of people. The programme for Government states wha…

I will be sharing my time with Deputies Lowry, Shanahan and Verona Murphy. I welcome this Bill. It is very necessary and I commend the speed with which the Minister of State has brought it forward in her short time in office. The forestry industry as we know it is in dire straits. I come from the constituency of Galway East, a rural area with a lot of forestry. We also have sawmills and a huge number of people employed in the construction industry. I have received a lot of correspondence from builders' providers, b…

I raise with the Minister the issue of primary medical certificates. Does he have any plans to extend or broaden the criteria under which people can apply for such certificates? They are a very useful support for those who need them but I find many people visiting my constituency office who have children who need special vehicles but do not qualify because they are not physically in a wheelchair or have not lost a limb. It is important that we look at this issue compassionately.

I hope the Minister will answer in more detail. If the last review of the scheme or addition to it was in 1994, it may be timely to review it again. I know of a young child who has been blind since birth. He needs special care and a vehicle but cannot qualify for this particular primary certificate. When looked at compassionately, much like every other rule or regulation we bring in, anomalies will arise in the scheme, which we accept. It may be time to review the scheme again as it has not been reviewed since 1994…

I thank the Minister. I am delighted that he is going to review the scheme or take advice based on the ruling made in the courts. This is an opportunity. We do not want to open up the scheme as a free-for-all but it is very important that the right people get support. I have no doubt that, in his capacity as Minister for Finance, the Deputy will look at this issue in a reasonable light. I may send him some details of the case with which I am dealing as an example of what we can do by making a very small change and …

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill. The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted and shone a light on the issue of sick pay and the continuation of income for families throughout the country. The Bill seeks to amend the existing sick pay legislation on the basis that we need to give entitlement to people who cannot attend work on grounds of force majeure or whose children are unable to attend school or preschool services for Covid-19 reasons. Its principle is very commendable, in that it will maintain income s…

A Cheann Comhairle, it is Seán Canney.

Do I look like Denis? I ask the Taoiseach the Government's plans for bringing forward the legislation on the local property tax. When does the Government intend to bring the new homes currently exempt from local property tax into the system? Will he give the date that this legislation will be brought forward?

I am delighted to speak to this very important issue. I heard previous speakers talk about Dublin but antisocial behaviour and fireworks are not confined to the city. Deputy Grealish mentioned Galway. In my constituency of Galway East we have antisocial behaviour through different strands. We have it on local authority estates where the local authorities are not capable or do not have the resources to manage the estates properly. We have it on private estates that have rental accommodation where a few people make l…