I understand there might be slight duplication on this. Based on the figures that are available to me, it seems that since the UK, including Northern Ireland, as the Minister pointed out, left the EU, Ireland has taken over the title of having the highest university fees in the EU. What proactive steps is the Department taking to address university fees, which are the highest in Europe currently?

I believe we have the right system in place here in Ireland. However, I also believe we can take steps to ensure the State pays the majority of fees while reducing the student contribution. I appeal to the Minister to continue to examine ways in which that student contribution can be reduced. Deputy Harris is the first Minister I have heard speak about value for money in this Chamber. I am a big believer in the taxpayer getting value for money, so I appreciate that. Investment in education yields a massive return t…

In the interest of not repeating my points further, I will address the Minister and the Minister of State regarding the Minister of State's remarks on sectoral requirements. There are massive sectoral requirements, particularly for skills based in rural Ireland such as fishing, farming and haulage. We have to look at approaches other than the apprenticeship model. I do not wish to labour the point but, when I was president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, we brought an apprenticeship programme to SOLAS but it…

There are some points I must make about the Bill but I will be supporting it as it is time we had this on a statutory footing. Currently schools do engage with students and parents and one will find most schools already have a charter. An example from the website of a County Wexford second-level school states: Working together as a school community, the Board of Management, parents, staff and students aim to provide an environment that will allow each student to develop intellectually, physically, morally, socially…

Last October, the Government was put on notice that if there was no movement on the post offices, we would revisit the issue, and here we are, which is disappointing to all concerned. This motion calls on the Government to introduce an interim solution that could be effective and deliverable from July 2021 to guarantee the current post office network and prevent any further closures. It could provide long-term certainty to enable postmasters to invest, develop and grow their businesses and ensure that all citizens …

This is the umpteenth time I have brought up with the Taoiseach and Ministers in this House the neglect of Rosslare Europort and the lack of any financial input from this Government or previous governments during the 30 years I spent in the haulage industry and the 17 months I have spent in this House. All parties in the House agree that Rosslare Europort is Ireland's most strategic port. All parties agree that it is being neglected, has been neglected and is in dire need of investment. All parties agree that the p…

The Taoiseach does not have half as much as I do.

I thank the Taoiseach. I understand he may hope to have common sense but he must take on board what is at stake here for the country. This port is regarded as probably the most strategic port not only in Ireland but in Ireland and the UK. It services Northern Ireland and has kept it in the Single Market. Northern Ireland businesses access this port. It has never received a shilling from any government, including this Government, in over 40 years. I spoke with Glenn Carr, the manager of Rosslare Europort, and he tol…

Last night, I watched a video of a tractor run organised by Friends of Wexford General Hospital to raise much-needed funds for an MRI scanner for the hospital. That was back in 2018. A total of 300 tractors took part and many more dedicated people from all walks of life have done similar fundraising. However, the MRI scanner that was promised in an undertaking given by Government never transpired, even though the required €250,000 was raised. The people of Wexford still do not have their MRI scanner and they are as…

This Bill appears to be simple. I will support it. What does not seem to be so simple is the process these women have to go through. The purpose of the Bill is to extend the period for making claims for compensation to the CervicalCheck tribunal from January 2022 to July 2022. In line with Deputies from the Regional Group, I urge the Minister to take that time to review the situation and engage with claimants. Everybody seems to be affected in some way by Covid. The extra time available to make a claim goes some wa…

The very reason we are here is because of Covid. We are making provision for councillors to extend the process to form county development plans that suit their county. I ask the Minister to delete the section that does not allow existing planning permissions that have not substantially commenced. The reality is that if they have not broken ground it is because of Covid. We have had the only building sector in Europe that has been substantially closed down for almost two years. In the teeth of a housing crisis, how …

In December last I had the opportunity to speak on the Organisation of Working Time (Domestic Violence Leave) Bill, which was introduced by Sinn Féin and received support from all sides of the House. I will take the opportunity to reinforce some of the things I said on that occasion, but also to highlight some very concerning developments which have come to light in recent weeks. We all know that abuse can take many different forms: sexual abuse, domestic abuse, emotional abuse, threats, intimidation, manipulation,…

I have called consistently for a plan from Government on reopening. It was never produced, even though I was told on the airwaves by many Government Members that there was a plan. According to the Government's reaction this week to NPHET's modelling figures, it does not have a plan. It offered another reactive approach which has been an absolute car crash instead of ensuring preventative measures by having a plan in place. We have been hearing for months about the Indian variant, called the Delta variant. Now the G…

One of the main functions of the Workplace Relations Act 2015 was to establish the Workplace Relations Commission. Some of the functions of the commission are to promote the improvement of workplace relations and maintenance of good workplace relations, promote and encourage compliance with the relevant laws, provide guidance on compliance with codes of practice, conduct reviews of, and monitor, developments in regard to workplace relations, conduct or commission relevant research, provide advice, information and t…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. The current state of our banking sector is a major cause of concern and has a big impact on many other aspects of our lives, most notably, the housing crisis. In recent months we have seen moves by Ulster Bank and KBC to leave the Irish market. A struggling banking sector with a lack of options and availability in the mortgage market makes affording a house beyond the reach of many people on decent wages. If we can do anything here to help revitalise our banking sector then it sho…

I thank the Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Colm Brophy, for coming in to take this Topical Issue matter. I am glad to raise it on behalf of my constituents. The Barrow railway bridge is a historic structure connecting the counties of Wexford and Kilkenny along the currently disused Rosslare to Waterford railway line. It opened in 1906 and it closed to passenger traffic in 2010. The maintenance arrangement with Irish Rail was to maintain the line for ten years after closure. Last wint…

I thank the Minister of State. It goes some way. I had some verbal conversations with Irish Rail, in which I was told that anything it was doing was temporary and reversible. I am glad the Minister of State has been able to clarify to some degree where it is at. He might be able to let us know when he anticipates that the rail review will be complete. Only then can we estimate what damage may have occurred, if any. If the Minister of State is telling me that there will be none, and that Irish Rail and the NTA have …

I am pleased to be here speaking on the legislation and that it has been brought forward. It is well known that there needs to be a step back and that deep breaths need to be taken in forming county development plans, particularly as the national planning framework takes no account of the Covid pandemic or a post-Covid era. We saw a headline in The Irish Times yesterday stating "House prices surge 13% as 'red hot' demand outstrips supply". People are moving to the post-Covid era themselves. They are buying houses t…

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to bring this issue to the attention of the House and the Minister of State. I thank the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for stepping in on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, whose area this is. The dental treatment services scheme, DTSS, provides access to dental treatment for adult medical card holders aged 16 years or older. Medical card holders are entitled to a free dental examination in each calendar year as well as any extractio…

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I am heartened to hear what she said because this is an urgent matter. She will have noted from the email I received from one of my constituents, which I read into the record, that this man is in his 70s and had been working. He received his over 70s medical card but it is of no benefit if he is unable to get an appointment. I heard what the Minister of State said with respect to the Irish Dental Association and the Minister. Apart from him asking his officials to engage…