Daily direct ferry services are needed.

I am seeking a commitment to daily direct ferry services.

Daily direct ferry services are required.

The Government is leaving us wide open.

I know that. The €150 million needed for daily services-----

One cannot have daily services if------

The opening statement delivered by the Tánaiste did not go far enough. In order to protect jobs and support businesses, the Government must ensure that the right actions are taken at the right time. Action must be taken to prevent the disruption that will arise from a no-deal Brexit. One form of protection would be ensuring that a daily service is provided across the Irish Sea from Rosslare and Dublin to Cherbourg or Le Havre. That would offer protection because it would lessen the need for many struggling business…

I wish the Minister of State all the best in her new portfolio. I have no doubt that, like any woman, she will make an impact. Some 13% of Irish people live with disability. When we talk about disability we must include all of those who are suffering from a disability, be it mental or physical, profound or otherwise. Disabled citizens have constitutional rights just like the rest of us. For them to adequately or at all benefit from these rights, they need supports. They have a right to equality but equal treatment …

I seek an update from the Minister on the timeline for the amalgamation of Institute of Technology, IT, Carlow and Waterford IT to form a technological university in the south east of Ireland.

I wish Mr. Boland well in his task. I will be available to assist on the project as a representative of the Wexford constituency. The south east is experiencing a period of significant change due to rapid population increase. In an economy that is diversifying in light of the shifting annual European and global environments, new patterns of population distribution particular to the county as a whole have come about, with easy access to the regions though the road infrastructure being one of the contributing factors…

I am a former student of Carlow IT and have heard the Minister speak at length in recent days regarding further and higher education. I undertook a bachelor of arts degree in law in 2006 as a night student in Carlow IT. As a full-time worker and the mother of a teenage daughter, I would not have had that opportunity if that course was not available. Students from Wexford have access to the Carlow campus but I passionately believe that we need a new technological campus in order to service further and higher educati…

I am the spokesperson for the Regional Group and obviously our interest is in the regions. Will the Minister give an update on the progress of the Connacht-Ulster alliance of Sligo IT, Galway and Mayo IT and Letterkenny IT on forming a technological university?

I thank the Minister. Technological university status is essential, as is having third level education remain in the region. It must happen sooner rather than later. A technological university of the west and north-west will be one of the largest multi-campus universities on the island, bringing together students, enterprise and communities spanning a unique geographical region in transition on the periphery of Europe, which has a predominantly dispersed rural population. Until that university status is achieved, w…

I will not labour the point other than to say that the region has a predominantly dispersed rural population. The need for the technological university will provide a critical mass in academic debt to attract, educate, nurture and retain the region's workforce post education, and to ensure job security for the future for the region.

Although I have wished the Minister of State well personally with what is, as Deputy Ó Laoghaire said, an unenviable portfolio, I do so again now. There have, however, been years of underinvestment, and I use the word "underinvestment" because, after all, the outcomes of early intervention and successful mental health treatment are an investment as much as education is. Ireland's mental health system was already under immense pressure because of the lack of investment before this pandemic, and now services are stre…

I believe this Bill is very relevant and will have a significant impact on people's decisions when contemplating an action through the legal system in the future. SMEs ranging from haulage operators to crèches, community and voluntary groups, GAA, soccer and sports clubs, hotels, clubs, pubs and restaurants are dealing with the lack of insurance reform every day. Their unsustainable insurance costs continue to trend upwards and they fear for the future of their organisations. Now the insurance crisis hampers their …

I welcome the opportunity to discuss the Bill. In the first instance, I would like to stress that the rental market in Ireland is a critical component of the housing market. There are people living in private rented accommodation who do not wish to be there. They are obliged to rent as there is no alternative. There are individuals who are eligible for social housing who are in private rented accommodation temporarily while they wait for social housing to be provided. There are others who do not qualify for social …

I was about to congratulate the Minister on her appointment but, as she has left the Chamber, I will do so another time. The Minister of State, Deputy Madigan, might pass on my congratulations. I think there are issues related to this motion that have always been there but are now accepted because of Covid-19. If returning to school were a wound, the issue would be regarded as septic and would need a great deal of care not to end up fatal. The issues that we face are now recognised as many in number but similar in …

I appreciate the Minister of State is new to the portfolio and I congratulate her and wish her every success in the future. I would like to draw her attention to the need for investment in Rosslare Europort, which is Ireland's most strategic port in accessing the European mainland once the UK leaves the EU, and currently. The land bridge will become defunct for the hauliers and their drivers, who wish to comply with driving regulation times and serve their customers' best interests post Brexit. I have spent 30 year…

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. To be clear, there was a requirement for a daily service to mainland Europe pre-Brexit, not just after Brexit has happened, which will circumvent the land bridge and the need for many customs operations. Although those systems are in place and will be ready, the process has done nothing for investment in the port itself. The figure of €30 million the Minister of State mentioned relates to an investment by Iarnród Éireann in a reconfiguration of the port. It will involve …