I thank the Acting Chairman, and I thank the Independent Group for tabling the motion. It allows us to ask the Minister to account for what I believe is an underhand and discriminatory reduction in the services of the NDLS. Decisions made in the context of Covid-19 were supposed to be temporary measures, supposedly made in the public interest to protect customers and staff in a variety of State bodies. It is an abuse of the Covid-19 measures for the NDLS to fail to return to the level of service that existed prior …

I am sharing time with Deputies Berry and Tóibín. I welcome the proposal to allow Ukrainian citizens to come to Europe and be a part of the communities as though they were EU citizens. Many Ukrainians already live among us and, indeed, play a big part in our day-to-day lives through work, sport and many of our social circles. Since March last, there has been a call on the Departments of Transport and Enterprise, Trade and Employment to allow Ukrainian heavy goods vehicle, HGV, drivers to come to Ireland on work per…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion and giving me the opportunity to speak. Despite all of the billions of euro spent year after year on the health service, the waiting list problem is getting worse. In a speech on the Appropriation Bill in December last, I highlighted the degree to which our spending on health has increased over the past six years. In 2016, it stood at €13.6 billion and in 2021, it was €21.7 billion, an increase of €8.1 billion in the period. I will ask the same question I asked in …

The flooding disaster that affected the county of Wexford last Christmas, particularly in Enniscorthy and Bridgetown among many other areas, made people homeless for a short time and put Wexford County Council workers, other rescue workers and many businesses at risk. In that context, I wish to ask about the specific timeline for the Minister's decision on the Enniscorthy flood defence scheme proposal.

I appreciate the Minister of State's response and that he came to Enniscorthy over the Christmas period. I also wish to pay my respects to Billy Kinsella and his family. He was the unfortunate county council worker who lost his life during the recent storm. My question was not for the Minister of State. It was actually for the Minister, Deputy Michael McGrath. During the Minister of State's visit to Enniscorthy, he told us that the decision lay with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. My question, whic…

With all due respect, I appreciate that but the Minister of State will have heard me say on that same occasion that if the process is open-ended there will be no definitive timeline as to when it ends and it could go on forever. The Minister of State said on that day that there is nothing we can do, but there is something we can do. We are legislators. We can ensure there is a timeline on the process. We can bring forth legislation such that in regard to the planning issue in terms of the Arterial Drainage Acts a t…

Aside from the recent-----

In recent times, senior civil and public servants have been mired in controversy. The public purse is being used by those at the most senior level to enhance their own salaries and, in other cases, to advance policy initiatives the Government has not underwritten. We have seen these questionable practices in the appointment of the Secretary General of the Department of Health on an unjustifiable salary and the actions of the Office of the Planning Regulator in the application of policy other than that of the line M…

It is all on the public record, having been reported in local newspapers.

The Taoiseach might address the question.

Yes. I notice the Minister of State, Deputy Browne, gave the Taoiseach the information on the meeting. It is correct. A meeting was convened, and there was to be another within seven days. Even when an independent councillor voiced his opinion that he had not had sufficient time to consider the 376-page report, the council proceeded with the vote, against legal advice that it could be subject to judicial review. Without a shadow of a doubt, the Taoiseach is a decent person and has the public interest at heart, even…

The chair is a Fianna Fáil chair.

Not if there is no sanction, Taoiseach.

The message is that we will all do what we like.

There was no impact. It made no difference. He got a standing ovation and a round of applause.

That is what the report says.

But nothing was done.

The continued growth of the higher education sector has led to the need for a dedicated Minister and Department in charge. I supported and welcomed last year the inclusion of apprenticeship courses in the Central Applications Office, CAO, process, which is an important step towards encouraging people into the trades, in line with European norms. There is progress with the technological university of the south east. I know the Minister has been supportive of the project and I welcome the progress that he and his Dep…

I thank Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. This is an opportune time to review the entire CAMHS system from top to bottom. I first note that our CAMHS team in Wexford does a remarkable job. It has no control over the deficits in staffing levels and what I am going to say is by no means a criticism of it. In fact, we have excellent staff; we simply do not have enough of them. We are understaffed, under-resourced and under pressure. County Wexford is still without a paediatric dietician, which I have brought…

Last night, a motion on providing a hybrid-option leaving certificate for 2022 students was defeated. The Tánaiste will be aware that many students who submitted projects may have already suffered from Covid, been in isolation until 14 January and missed their deadlines. They carry that dilemma with them right through to June. It is fair to say that one more time is what is required. Students have a legitimate expectation that legislators like us will provide for their educational future. The disruption of Covid an…