I do not recognise the system the Ministers of State have described this morning. It is not my experience, particularly with regard to the wraparound supports that are supposedly available to those with problematic substance use who have become homeless. I say this not to score points but with the hope that the Ministers of State will move beyond the rhetoric and look at the real challenges facing people in these circumstances. We are speaking about people who I would describe as adults at risk, who find themselves…

The Minister of State said that in normal times, there is a ten-week waiting list for driver tests. The waiting list for a driver test in the Tallaght centre was 9,500 in November. That is nearly one tenth of all the people waiting for tests in the State. There is clearly a problem. There was an increase of over 4,000 in just four months, so it is safe to assume that the number waiting now could be 10,000 or 11,000. I do not have the figures, maybe the Minister of State has them to hand, but the waiting list in Tal…

The Minister of State referred to significant amounts. It could be 10,000 or 11,000. I understand the challenges we face at the moment but I want to know if a plan will be put in place to deal with the backlog in the Tallaght area specifically. One person in ten on the national waiting list is waiting for a test in the Tallaght centre. It is equivalent to the population of a town. Something needs to be done. Will she address the situation regarding family carers, for instance? They are not seen as essential workers…

Give examples.

The pandemic has forced us all to re-examine the way we view social protection. None of us would have imagined a situation where hundreds of thousands of workers were going to be laid off or lose their jobs and be forced to stay out of work for months. I listened to the Minister's speech. She spoke about the extended lockdown, the need to once again flatten the curve and protect the vaccine roll-out. We cannot strip away supports and benefits that allow workers and their families to observe restrictions and stay at…

I presume the answer to that question is a "Yes" or a "No".

The question was whether the PUP will continue as long as Covid restrictions keep businesses from operating. People want reassurance that the supports will be there. When does the Minister expect to extend parents' benefit to five weeks, as was promised in budget 2020? Her speech also touched on the closure of schools and childcare facilities, which is set to continue for the immediate future. The budget promise must be fulfilled urgently. She mentioned that the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integrat…

The long-term health effect of Covid, so-called long Covid, has yet to be determined. Initial indications are that the lifelong impact of the virus may be severe. Is the Department of Social Protection examining the possibility of a Covid disability payment or long-term enhanced illness payment, should the need arise?

I did not get to the end of my couple of minutes. Is it possible to get a proper answer on how staff are managing? The Minister is talking about extra payments, but how are staff in her Department managing in this regard? It would be useful if the Department issued a paper on the matter.

I want to make a few points and then, perhaps, ask a couple of questions if we have time at the end. The vaccination programme will only work with successful engagement and buy-in from the public. The vaccine programme needs to be as fair, open, transparent and honest as possible. Some people have genuine concerns at the speed, safety and effectiveness of many of the vaccines that have appeared and they have worries about the possible side effects. We need to respond to those concerns with responsible, accurate and…

Can Members imagine getting a pay rise of €81,000? That is two or three wages for most working families. It is the amount the new Secretary General of the Department of Health can look forward to. That is the shocking backdrop to any debate on pay for student nurses and midwives. Three Ministers went off by themselves, colluded, if you like, ignored existing pay structures and agreed State mechanisms and then decided among themselves that someone earning well over €200,000 was not being paid enough and agreed colle…

Like others, I welcome this Bill. The consensus in the House is we need to do more. These amendments strengthen the Bill. They certainly do not undermine or weaken it and the Minister of State needs to look clearly at them. The IT changes over the past two decades have made it much easier for such communications. As a public representative, I have dealt with some of these cases. I have had parents contacting me, particularly in cases involving children, not so much concerning two adults. It is usually in a school s…

This year will go down in history as one of the toughest the world has faced in generations. The election for the Dáil was only in February but it feels like a lifetime ago now. This is a year many of us would like to forget. Ireland has seen more than 76,000 cases of Covid and more than 2,000 deaths from it. The losses endured by thousands of families are unimaginable. Loved ones snatched away by a virus that has swept the globe and left no corner untarnished. The damage to the financial and employment situation o…

It says much and highlights the lack of regard, respect and priority that we display to those with mental health issues that we are forced to bring forward a Bill acknowledging that mental health issues should be held in parity with physical health. I welcome the Bill and thank my colleague, Deputy Ward, for introducing it and giving us the opportunity to begin this conversation on an important societal matter. I also welcome that today the sub-committee dealing with mental health matters was established and had it…

As other speakers have pointed out, this section is out of synch with the rest of the Bill. I read the explanatory memorandum to the Bill and it states that the threshold for third-country residents to qualify for the scheme is €175. That has not been updated. We need an explanation of where the Government is coming from with this provision. As colleagues have noted, the retail sector is on its knees. Instead of discouraging people from spending, we should be encouraging them to spend more. We are facing into uncer…

I am one of those unfortunates who likes a bargain. I listened to the speech of the Minister of State and I must write a note to myself not to shop in his store in future. I do not think there was anything he outlined to us that would change our minds on this. We are all starting from the position that we believe the sector is on its knees and this will introduce a new element that will make it even more difficult for people to recover. I listened to the Minister of State speak about the Labour Party proposal and h…

The misuse of scrambler and quad bikes presents a great danger to people in many of our communities when they are used by children or adults without any level of training, supervision or respect for one's neighbours. I accept that this problem is not occurring in every area but it is a phenomenon that is growing every year. Many of our communities are plagued by the buzzing noise to which other Deputies referred. I can often hear that buzz from my garden as the bikes go up and down the road all day, seven days a we…

My party, Sinn Féin, has been clear since the Brexit referendum in 2016 that the protection of full and equal access to EU benefits, such as the EU health insurance card, Horizon 2020 research funding and Erasmus programmes are vital in protecting the rights of Irish citizens living in the North of Ireland. It is welcome that the Irish Government has sought to make arrangements in order that people living in the North would continue to have access to EU health insurance cards in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The M…

Budget 2021 will be judged by the way it impacts on citizens' lives, whether it improves, disimproves or has no impact on them. It is important that we talk about real citizens. I want to give the Minister an outline of a letter I got today from a constituent. He says that he is in agony. He has problems with his cervical spine, which he says is busted, and his lumbar spine. He has been told by neurology and rheumatology that he needs a scan but he has also been told that he may have to wait years for that. If he h…

Is my name not there?