Can the Minister again give consideration to looking at the issue in the round? If there is no timeline for the reopening of the sector and if we are not going to have cultural and sporting events, whatever type of event one wants to imagine that befits the live entertainment and events sector, there has to be some scope for developing a package. Every day, we support the foreign direct investment sector through the IDA. We support local enterprises through Enterprise Ireland. I am also making the case for the othe…

Will the Minister indicate the status of the public services card?

Not yet. I do make good use of my Leap card and I would like to see that facility extended throughout the country if possible. I am asking the Minister for a status update in respect of the public services card.

I recognise that the matter is before the courts. My understanding is that the Government has appealed the decision regarding the enforcement notice to the Circuit Court. I merely wish to ascertain - I do not think this is a sub judice issue - where that process stands at present. Has there been a hearing or is there to be a hearing? If the latter is the case, when does the Government anticipate that such a hearing will take place?

I welcome the Minister's answer. The word "shortly" can cover a multitude but I understand where she is coming from and I am not trying to be facetious. However, it would be good to have a more definitive position on this matter from the Government. There are issues regarding minors, in particular, and the very personal information held regarding people under the age of 18. It would be helpful to have the Minister's perspective in terms of accessing services in those instances. My understanding of the issue - I cou…

I merely wish to ask the Minister if there is an attempt at policy coherence in respect of rural transport provision. Covid-19 has highlighted the weaknesses in school transport policy in particular. We know that currently there is a review of the school transport scheme but to our mind there is no point in having a review of the school transport scheme unless the Minister's Department is mapped across the review.

I thank the Minister for her response. If her Department is developing a rural policy for Ireland I do not think it is possible to do so without talking about the totality of public transport. Increasingly, rural Ireland is a cosmopolitan place. The people who live there now traverse the entire demographic of Irish society. Without being too verbose about it, this September there was a crisis regarding the supply of school transport. Hopefully, that will be worked through. There is an opportunity here for policy co…

The Covid-19 pandemic has taught us that more and more people are connected. Many people who ordinarily would not have been connected to Internet technologies are now in possession of smartphones and can use that technology in a seamless way across the age range. It is about developing a coherent supply of transport services to allow people to use the technology to map on, so that no matter where they are living they can get access to services and they do not have to go to a place to buy a ticket, for example, as t…

I am very grateful to Deputy Brendan Smith for his act of kindness. It is much appreciated. I am delighted to speak in this debate. I welcome the Minister to the House. He will not be a stranger to the benefits that the music, culture and arts communities bring to society. This point is self-evident; it is a truth. It would be very useful if the Government were to consider restoring the pandemic unemployment payment to the thousands of people whom we have heard from in the past 24 to 48 hours. We would be doing the…

I welcome the Minister of State to the Chamber and welcome her statement. The announced €7.8 million is a significant sum of money but it will only become so if the follow-on services are provided. Last night in the House I raised the issue of professionals such as occupational therapists being deployed to contact tracing and even testing. That makes a mockery of any attempts to ensure people who rely on the follow-on services arising from an assessment of need would get those services. I ask the Minister of State …

I note that no Minister is in situ at present.

I note the presence of the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan, and I am very sorry that the senior Minister has taken it upon himself to leave during a discussion on such an important motion. There is no doubting that the regulations are overkill but I worry that the motion before us now, if it succeeds, would result in annulling all the regulations, and that could also be overkill. While we agree with the spirit of what is being debated, if there is an attempt to annul the regulations completely, it is important th…

I have witnessed a degree of anxiety on the part of professionals working in the childcare sector, when they have to be tested for Covid-19, regarding the time it is taking them to get tests in some instances, and then to attain the results. This is worrying for themselves personally, but also where they are reasonably confident of a negative test outcome, as they may be out of circulation for a considerable period, which is understandable. What is the Minister’s perspective on establishing a protocol that would al…

I thank the Minister for his reply. I appreciate that there is an ongoing engagement between him and NPHET as to the prioritising of testing for those people who are working with children. I reiterate the call that such priority could be given. Nobody in society will oppose the idea of prioritised testing where people are working with children. I also seek the Minister's perspective on the fact that there is no sick pay scheme in place for workers within the childcare sector. The absence of such a sick pay scheme h…

Again, I welcome that the Minister is proactive in respect of engaging with the stakeholders. We know that 79% of early years professionals do not have a sick pay scheme at work. People may not make the link between testing for Covid-19 and a sick pay scheme but if there is a sick pay scheme in situ that is embedded within the system, it gives comfort largely to parents who we are talking about across the sector. There is a Labour Party Bill on a sick pay scheme for all workers but for this sector in particular, it…

It is the sting in the tail.

I rise to support the legislation and thank the Minister for bringing it forward. It is absolutely timely and it sends a clear signal of the Government's intention in respect to a pathway for pubs to reopen. I acknowledge the fact that the Minister states that the powers to be conferred on the Garda are significant. We take solace in the fact that there is a sunset clause in the legislation and this offsets the risk of it being applied in a nefarious way. I would like the Government to give an exact date on which t…

Can the Minister give me her perspective on community employment schemes? We know that 3,000 extra places were announced on State employment schemes in the July stimulus package. We are all receiving representations from individuals and from administrators of schemes who are seeking extensions to individuals’ tenure on those schemes, which are adding exceptional value. Can the Minister give me her perspective on how the schemes will operate going forward?

I appreciate the Minister’s point and understand that one must allow for other people to come on to individual schemes. Will the Minister allow for individual cases to be made, where there is a solid case and where there is not a demand at a local level for an additional person or a replacement to come on to the scheme? Will she allow for some discretion if that business case for retention of an individual beyond the extension period is based on mitigating circumstances? There are schemes around the country which w…

I appreciate the Minister’s response and understand that one has to allow for throughput in these schemes, which we all accept. Deputies and Senators will have all received representations from administrators of schemes. If the business case is made and it stacks up to scrutiny, if there is no demand for another person to come onto a scheme and if the work being carried out has an exceptional impact locally, I ask the Minister to allow for some discretion and common sense, to use her own expression, and allow pragm…