I genuinely hope all is going well for the Minister on a personal level. I want to speak to him about an opportunity that now clearly presents itself in constituencies such as mine of Longford and Westmeath. It is an opportunity that businesses and workers were hesitant to explore for a long time because of fear of the unknown but had foisted on them because of Covid-19. I am speaking about remote working, the positive impact it can have on our environment and its role in the fight against climate change. The benef…

While most crime decreased over Covid, domestic violence recorded the largest increase. What impact has this had on the schedule of our family courts and when are sittings expected to return to full capacity? The impact these services have on those living with domestic violence cannot be overstated and they need to be put back in place as soon as possible.

The enormous impact on the lives of people across the country is particularly evident in those who seek access to the family courts. How will the family court and family law Bill the Minister mentioned address the adversarial nature of family law proceedings? It has to be available to anyone who needs it. This includes the reassurance of access to barring, safety and protection orders but also the other side of family court cases: access to children, guardianship and maintenance payments. Women's Aid said they have…

What is the current backlog in the family court service? What are the actual numbers? Does the Minister have this information to hand?

Can it be provided?

Can that information be provided? What is the current backlog in the family court services? These figures represent people in crisis. Otherwise they would not be in the family court service to begin with. We have an obligation to ensure any support these individuals and families need is put in place as soon as possible.

This Bill is in some ways an exercise in legislative housekeeping, involving the dotting of i's and crossing of t's, or tidying up, as the Minister said. While the Government might regard this as necessary, members of the Defence Forces have a vastly different view of what is necessary. One serving member said to me today: "What have they got against us? They have nothing to offer us for the future if they only see us through their rear-view mirror." It is words like these that I hear consistently when I speak to m…

In general terms, the Bill is welcome. It is indicative of the extraordinary times we are in that operational issues in respect of compliance arising from the Companies Acts and the Industrial and Provident Societies Act need to be addressed as a direct result of Covid-19. The ability to hold AGMs through video technology is something that has been accommodated elsewhere for a long time and the Bill is simply catching up with what has been done in other areas with regard to the use of electronic communication. We h…

That question is grouped with No. 47 in my name. I ask the Minister if her attention has been drawn to the fact that many trade workers who undertook emergency call-outs during the pandemic have been locked out of supports. Specifically, I am referencing the enterprise support grant. The Minister might comment on that.

I wish to raise a couple of issues with the Minister specifically about housing and its impact on older people and those with disabilities in our communities. I will give an example of how our social housing system has failed a gentleman I know, an absolute gent of the highest order. This gentleman was on the housing waiting list for 20 years - that is two decades. He had never been offered a property and had never refused one. The only time he sought assistance was when the third-floor apartment in which he was li…

I am not at all surprised that the European Commission has been unable to get support in the REACH committee due to the fundamental problems with the proposals. Did the European Commission forget about the presumption of innocence? An extremely important principle in EU law is that the burden of proof is on the prosecution, yet these proposals would have seen that burden move to the person. The person would have been responsible for proving that he or she had been outside wetlands when he or she used lead shot. The…

I have heard and listened to what the Minister of State has said. The problem, however, is that the Ramsar convention, when applied to Ireland, takes in everything but the kitchen sink. It is not designed to be used at a local level. It is designed to be used on a broad, global scale. I ask the Minister of State to commit to come to the midlands and to meet with groups like the National Association of Regional Game Councils. As a result of today's delayed vote, we have been given an opportunity to engage with such …

The Taoiseach was Minister for Education and Science in 1999 when Holy Family national school, also known as Curraghmore national school, first applied for a new building. That €5 million project is now 37 months into a 12-month contract and there is no confirmed completion date. The buck-passing between the builder, the local authority and the Department of Education and Skills is not good enough. The rate of progress on the site is not good enough. There are 357 pupils and their families who desperately need this…

With Brexit talks in their current state, a number of business sectors across my constituency of Longford-Westmeath have been in contact with me. I wish to raise one particular sector, which is the tourism sector, and its vulnerability to a no-deal Brexit or a bad-deal Brexit and its fears of being plunged into what would be essentially an economic abyss. One individual described it to me as a perfect storm that they are not entirely convinced that they can face or survive. What plans has the Department put in plac…

I can speak if the Minister of State wants to wait to the end to address all of our questions.

First, I wish to add my voice to the thanks to our Defence Forces for the role they have played in the emergency of Covid-19. I want to raise a couple of issues with the Minister of State today. The first is the deep concern regarding the future use of Columb Barracks in Mullingar and the proposed construction of 100 homes by the Land Development Agency there. I have put forward several parliamentary questions but have yet to receive responses. The questions I have put forward are to address the deep concern but al…

I am conscious that the Minister, Deputy Madigan, and I have never spoken in this Chamber or outside of it. A great deal of concern has been expressed to me in regard to the derogation which classifies the wood pigeon as a pest. Will the Minister give clear and concise clarification as to whether she intends to sign this derogation? This species causes enormous destruction to standing crops, putting unnecessary pressure on the tillage farmers who have, for decades, depended on the game and conservation organisation…

I will take a written reply on the staffing levels.

I have a number of questions that I simply will not get to ask at this stage and I have more respect for myself, this House and the Ceann Comhairle than to start haggling when we run over time so I will be as brief as possible.

Perfect. Regarding the July provision programme, this programme is vital for ensuring that children with autism spectrum disorder, ASD, continue with some level of structured learning during the summer. All children will experience a level of difficulty settling back into the school when they reopen but for children on the spectrum, and children with severe to profound learning difficulties, that challenge will be multiple-fold and will cause unimaginable distress for the students and their families without support…