It is now reported that the Labour Court has requested that both parties submit final written submissions by close of business today. Let that be the focus, let there be a court hearing tomorrow and let us find a resolution in this dispute for once and for all in order that people can go on their holidays and go about their business.

I thank Deputy Pringle for raising two important issues which are clearly intertwined here - the issue of concrete blocks and particularly the devastating impact that is having in his constituency to community childcare facilities. He made specific reference to Ardara but also referred to Raphoe and Letterkenny. The Department of children is aware of the service in Ardara and it is aware of the impact that defective blocks are having on that service. My understanding is that the Department is examining how it can r…

I thank Deputy Pringle for raising this issue and I acknowledge he raises it regularly, as do other colleagues in County Donegal. I accept a statement of the obvious. The Deputy has rightly said that the Government and I are aware this is not just a Donegal issue. It is important to say that. My note mentions counties Mayo, Clare and Limerick as other areas that have been affected. The Government recently took a decision to include Sligo County Council too. I am aware this is an issue that first came to visibility …

I thank colleagues. Deputies Shortall and Murphy must be particularly delighted in their decision to retire. They have united the House in a very rare moment, which may prove to be another historic moment in their trailblazing careers. Again, on behalf of the Government, we wish them very well. There were a range of issues. Of course, they can all be considered in the context of the Business Committee. We had a discussion last week about how the Business Committee does go through a process, which we need not go thr…

We can see that best at the Business Committee. We have to get a lot of legislation-----

I cannot hear the Deputy.

It is up to the Government but-----

We can consider the matter but we need to obviously also look at what legislation needs to get passed here between now and the Dáil recess as well but we are giving consideration-----

That is not a "Yes"; it is a "Let's see". Let us look at whatever things need to get through the House-----

-----next week as well. Deputy Verona Murphy raised a very good piece of work done by the Department of Justice that highlights a real and serious need for reform in a number of areas related to our family courts. The Minister for Justice is very committed to this. In the first instance I might suggest she could respond to the Deputy in terms of the next steps we intend to take and I am very happy for that to be discussed again. With regard to Tusla, the Government is always very happy to consider that.

The Deputy voted against the children's referendum and is now referencing it in the Dáil.

They are in the Constitution.

The Government is not planning to do that. The Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications is currently engaging with the Irish Waste Management Association and other stakeholders such as Repak to conduct a robust evidence-based process to quantify what substantive impact, if any, the introduction of the deposit return scheme will have on the waste collection system in Ireland over the longer term.

I do intend to make progress on this very shortly. I welcome Finola Cassidy, who has, from her perspective, become an all-too-frequent visitor to this House. It is always good to see her. I thank her for the way she engages. We are committed to the continued support of the health and personal social service needs of Irish thalidomide survivors. I have been engaging with Government colleagues on this matter. Progress has been made on certain aspects and an update will be brought to the Government very shortly.

I thank Deputy Shortall. I acknowledge this is the second time she has raised this. She raised it with me last month and I spoke to the then Minister for Finance about it. My understanding is that the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform, Deputy Donohoe, has done likewise and that the Department of Finance is examining the issue. However, I appreciate the point the Deputy made about time sensitivity, so she should allow me to speak to the Department of Finance and get back …

I answered that question the last time. That is not currently the Government's plan. On the specific issues, we do need to have an evidence base here rather than just accept what a waste company, with the greatest respect to it, or any other organisation says. The charges applied by waste management companies are managed by those companies but they are subject to compliance with relevant legislation, including contract and consumer legislation. It is a condition of the permits under which waste collectors operate t…

I am conscious of commenting on the issue. I thank Deputy Tóibín for raising it but I have no knowledge of it. Obviously, these are very serious matters. If the Deputy wishes, I am happy to correspond with him on the matter and raise it with the relevant authorities.

Truthfully, as recently as yesterday at my diary meeting we agreed to have a meeting with Professor Higgins. I have been seeking to have that meeting for some time and it should now be scheduled. I certainly spoke to my team about it yesterday, and I will be very happy to revert to the Deputy on it.

In that vein, let me take the question as one about school supply in Dublin South-Central. I thank the Deputy for raising a number of schools, including Our Lady of Hope School and Setanta Special School, the need for Gaelcholáistí in Dublin 8, 10 and 12, and the need for a secondary school more generally. I will raise each of these issues with the Minister, Deputy Foley. Obviously, we have allocated a very significant amount of capital to schools building projects and I will seek an update and, perhaps, a meeting …

I am very much aware that, at what was a very difficult time in our country and the world, many people in Ireland worked extremely hard to save lives. I am very proud of a lot of the work that was done during Covid. However, it is very important that, after any pandemic, there is a look-back, there are lessons learned and there are answers provided. We are reflecting on the terms of reference. I said that it would be within weeks, and we are still within weeks. I intend to bring those terms to the Government shortl…