I am delighted to see the final transfer of the heritage function to the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. I think the right place for it is down in the Customs House with the planning, local government and water sections. I am particularly delighted to see the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, take on this role, given his lifetime of experience, activism and commitment to protecting our natural, built and cultural heritage. Our built heritage is of vital economic and social value. Throughout ou…

The next slot is being shared by Deputies Canney and Tóibín.

We are discussing the decommissioning and removal of the Kinsale alpha platform. It is a relic of a time when we drilled holes in the ground to suck out gas and oil to burn. We took so much of these fossil fuels from the ground and burned them over so many decades that we have destroyed our environment and destabilised our climate. In the 1970s, when we sought our oil and gas fields, we did not know of the damage. It was a different era with far less consideration of our environment and limited knowledge of how emi…

Our fishers and our fishing communities are going through a tough and stressful time as outlined by the Minister in his opening statement and other Deputies. Despite the Brexit deal, there are still many uncertainties. We still do not know exactly the quotas and the total allowable catch that will be shared among the sector or what sustainability criteria will be applied to it. We cannot guarantee that the scientific advice on sustainable fishing will be applied to UK waters. There is an indication that the UK is p…

Our programme for Government states a commission on housing will be established to review various aspects of housing provision concerning tenure and standards. There is an urgent need to address security of tenure and long-term tenancy rights for renters. We also seek high standards but are often let down by investigation and enforcement. Will the Tánaiste update us on progress for the commission for housing? Will the commission look at the programme for Government commitment on a referendum on housing?

I will share my time with Deputy Devlin. We will have five and a half minutes each.

It is an extremely difficult year for students. The Minister acknowledged that in his opening contribution, as have many speakers in today's debate. There are difficulties across the entire education system for students of all ages. I acknowledge that all the staff, teachers, lecturers and support and administrative staff in both the Departments of Education and Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science are working as hard as they can to try to bring some normality and quality of learning exper…

I draw the attention of the Minister of State to the most recent Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, report on waste water discharges highlighting non-compliance in many waste water treatment plants and their impact on receiving waters. It is a disgrace that in 2020 a total of 35 towns and villages are discharging raw sewage into nearby watercourses. It is equally disappointing that so many plants are failing to meet EU pollution standards. I welcome the opportunity to raise this serious matter. It is a long-runn…

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I acknowledge that Irish Water has been making progress and that it inherited a system that was not invested in for many years because investing in waste water treatment plants, or pipes in the ground, was not headline grabbing. We have neglected a very precious resource and the result of that neglect is that we have been discharging substandard water into our watercourses, our rivers and the marine environment for many years. I welcome the programme for Government's …

I thank the Minister for being here to answer my questions on a long-running and unacceptable situation which is affecting students, parents and teachers in Greystones Community College in my constituency. I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the tremendous effort and hard work of teachers throughout this country as well as that of school staff, principals, secretaries and everyone in the Department of Education who is involved in getting our schools up and running and creating some sort of normality for ou…

I thank the Minister for her response, but it did not give me much information beyond what I have received already from her Department or others who have received communications from her Department. At the heart of this issue is the fact that the children are being taught in a tennis club which is totally unacceptable and unsuitable as classroom accommodation. I acknowledge that the Department is doing what it can and that it and the Minister are dealing with a range of difficulties across the educational system at…

I, too, thank the Minister for the considerable amount of engagement he has had with Members regarding this Bill on this difficult subject matter. I refer, particularly, to the briefing yesterday which clearly outlined the intention behind this Bill we are discussing today and the difficulties with the existing commission legislation. The legislation being considered today has an objective and that is absolutely not to seal away information. It is, in fact, to stop information from being put beyond reach. This info…

I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Noonan, for being here to answer these questions. I request that the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government carry out a review to examine amending the building regulations to include the mandatory installation of adequate toilet facilities for disabled people and their carers, known as changing places facilities. The Minister will know that while Part M of the building regulations states that new buildings must include standard wheelchair accessible toilet facilit…

I thank the Minister of State for his response and welcome the fact that he has committed to giving consideration to a review of the provision of changing places. It will, of course, involve an amendment to Part M of the building regulations. I believe we should address the issue quickly and I will continue with the Minister of State and his Department to ensure that we can provide these facilities for people who urgently need them. As I said earlier, there are only 15 of these facilities in the country. Similar fa…

I am sharing time with Deputies Michael Moynihan and O'Donnell. I do not need to explain to anyone here the importance of the SME sector in Ireland, the substantial numbers that it employs and the significance of those operations throughout the regions, our towns and rural areas. I listened to Ursula von der Leyen's state of the European Union address today and was encouraged to hear the importance of the SME sector highlighted in her speech, that they are the leaders in innovation, that they will lead the circular…

I wish to join others in congratulating the Minister on his reappointment to the Department. It is a very important appointment that ensures continuity, maintains experience and allows Deputy Coveney to continue the good work he has heretofore been doing with Deputy McEntee, especially regarding Brexit and relationships in Europe. Much of what I wish to ask about has already been raised so I will not repeat it all. We will need to return to the issue of Hong Kong at some point. I refer to Vote 27, which includes of…

I have a number of questions for the Tánaiste regarding the EU, foreign affairs, trade and Covid-19. Before that, I would like to mention the ongoing situation in the US and the societal implications of racism at home and abroad. The Green Party stands in solidarity with all those who have experienced racism and oppression. The horrific killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis brought into the light an ugly truth that people of colour know all too well, namely, that racism is alive and well in the world in which we l…

We are here today to examine the large budgetary requirement and the Estimates for the Department to put measures in place to allow that Department to continue making those payments and providing supports so many people are dependent on to get us through this unprecedented health emergency. These ongoing payments are necessary and are the right use of public money. Our responsibility here is to support everyone in this country to get through this time of crisis. I will be supporting this proposal today for that rea…

Does the Department plan to review the position of seasonal workers? Other Deputies have mentioned the massive job losses across tourism. So many people in those industries, including musicians, artists and people across the board, depend on the income over the three or four months of this time of year. They will not have any work this year. They will not have the income that they would make at this time to get them through the quiet times of winter. Has this been considered? They do not qualify for the pandemic un…

The Minister may have had the opportunity to read the recent National Economic and Social Council report on employment vulnerability as part of a just transition. It reports on the challenges of moving to a low-carbon and eventually to a zero-carbon economy, as well as the opportunities for innovation, employment retraining and investment. Just transition is described in that document as a bridge from where we are now to a future where all jobs are green and decent, where poverty is eradicated and our communities a…