While we welcome the Government's decision to set up a statutory agency to oversee the State's response to domestic abuse, a number of issues flow from that, in particular the issue of maintenance and the difficulty people have in accessing maintenance through the current courts system, particularly when the defaulting party refuses to pay, where often abused spouses who live in refuges and shelters find themselves having to access the court system on a continual basis. Will this agency be given the power to step i…

What is the Government's view on the suggestion which has been widely canvassed that an elective-only hospital be established in the mid-western area? The reason for that, which we all witness every day, is the chronic shortages and overcrowding at University Hospital Limerick which is always at or near the top of the trolley count. On a few occasions recently, it ran out of trolleys, which is indefensible. The simple reality is that the medical facilities in the region are insufficient to cater for its population.…

A committee headed by Mr. Justice Charles Meenan of the High Court has recommended a vaccine compensation scheme be introduced in this country to fast-track compensation for people who have been damaged as a result of taking the vaccines. This is along the lines of schemes that have already been put in place in other countries, especially countries such as the UK, where, like Ireland, the manufacturers of those products are indemnified by the State. Are the recommendations of the Meenan committee acceptable to the …

There is a five-year waiting list for a first appointment at the adult diabetic clinic at the University Hospital Limerick. In addition to that, the UL Hospitals Group is the only hospital group in the country that does not have a dose adjustment for normal eating, DAFNE, clinic, which is now recognised as an essential part of the care for adult diabetics suffering from type 1 diabetes. The reason for that is that despite the fact the funding was approved about 12 months ago to recruit specialist staff, they have n…

Deputy McNamara anticipated what I was going to say and I may be able to be of some assistance to him. Many of my constituents, both businesses and people working from home, in the periphery of Limerick city, in places like Castletroy, Castleconnell, Drombanna and Ballyneety, have been seriously discommoded by the lack of a fast broadband service. I did some research on it and have been informed that National Broadband Ireland, the company commissioned to do this work, has been operating for almost two years. It ha…

Is the Tánaiste aware of the difficulties being experienced by several sports organisations as a result of the rule that, to participate in indoor sport, people must be vaccinated? The Minister will be aware it is not possible for people under the age of 12 to be vaccinated. There are some indoor sports, such as basketball, where a considerable percentage of the participants are under that age. Does the Government intend to revisit that decision or, at least, publish clear guidelines for how it will operate and ind…

In view of yesterday's announcement, I want to ask about an essential piece of infrastructure, namely, the proposed Cork-Limerick or, as I prefer to say, Limerick-Cork, motorway. I am as wise today as I was yesterday. What I seek is an assurance that this will actually happen. If it is to happen, can the Minister give us a clue or his opinion as to what year it might start? I am inundated with queries from business organisations, communities etc. down in Limerick. Is it possible that this could be dropped entirely …

I want to ascertain the Government's intentions regarding the position of directly elected mayor for Limerick city and county. As the Taoiseach will be aware, this election has already been postponed once this year and now according to newspaper reports it will be postponed again. What is the reason for these postponements? What are the Government's intentions when and if the election takes place?

I do not have any vested interest, but I thank the Deputy for giving me the opportunity to reiterate that.

Could the Taoiseach give a possible timeline?

The Tánaiste will be aware of the extent to which inflation is eroding people's purchasing power. I am sure he will agree that this bears down hardest on those at the very bottom, namely, people who have to rely on social welfare. Does the Government intend to take steps in the forthcoming budget to restore the purchasing power of those people? Not to do so would deepen and perpetuate inequality. I include in that group people who are in receipt of the State pension, despite the views of a group of officials in the…

I have only a few minutes, so I will be brief. I welcome the Bill. When an organisation that has been operating on an ad hoc basis is put on a statutory basis, the power, authority and status of that organisation are much improved. However, even the most unbiased observer would have to admit that the record of the ODCE has been a mixed one. People have referenced the FitzPatrick case. I believe the Minister of State mentioned in his opening statement when introducing the legislation that there had been procedural c…

I want to raise the question of the early childhood education sector, which is in deep crisis and haemorrhaging staff. There are commitments in the programme for Government regarding an employment regulation order and a new type of model. I want to ascertain when these will materialise because the crisis is now. The whole sector is in imminent danger of collapse.

The Minister will be aware of the dramatic reduction in personal injury awards over the past two months by as much as 50%. He will also be aware that that reduction is a result of actions taken by the Government, which took a long time and encountered ferocious opposition. However, insurance premiums have not reduced commensurately. The idea behind bringing down personal awards was that premiums would be reduced and that these savings would be passed on to the consumer. What is the Government's proposal to compel t…

As the Taoiseach is aware, it is policy on all sides of the House that people who are elderly or ill and need care should be allowed to live in and enjoy the comfort of their own homes, insofar as possible. Despite this, there are thousands of people in nursing homes in this country, funded under the fair deal scheme at huge cost to the taxpayer, who would prefer to be living at home with their families and whose families would prefer them to be at home. This is not possible because we do not have a proper statutor…

I will bring the Taoiseach back to what, in my view, is the totally disproportionate decision by Aer Lingus management yesterday to effectively sack 126 cabin crew and ground staff. Is there a full realisation in Government of the potential consequences of this for regional imbalance, tourism and investment generally in the region? What, if any, communication has been made with Aer Lingus management to ask it to reverse or at least review that decision, in view of the fact it was linked to quarantine, which, I am t…

I welcome the Bill. As a member of the Government that introduced the home care system initially, I recognise that we obviously did not get it completely right. It is very hard to get it exactly right the first time around. Several deficiencies emerged which are being effectively dealt with by the Minister of State in today's legislation, which I welcome. I am slightly concerned that it has taken so long. I remember the fourth last Minister of State in that Department speaking about this particular reform. Since th…

In his reply to earlier questions, I heard the Tánaiste say there could be unintended consequences if there was a complete ban on cuckoo funds acting, about which we have all been talking in recent days. An obvious unintended consequence is the way they are acting at the moment, because they were established to increase supply and to provide capital and extra housing, instead of swooping in and purchasing housing already completed. A number of cases have been brought to my attention in which further swoops are immi…

I congratulate the Minister, Deputy McEntee. I heard some of the Tánaiste's responses in which he referred to the division in opinion on the efficacy of rapid testing. Does he agree that there is also an even sharper difference in opinion on the whole notion of a vaccine passport, or an immunity certificate as it is being called? Does he not agree that the introduction of such a system would in effect create a two-tiered society where people who could not take the vaccine for any number of a variety of reasons woul…

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this important topic. The group of workers who are directly affected are some 2,600 workers throughout the country who suffer from a mild physical or mental disability and who, due to a Government initiative, have been allowed to join the workforce. The reason they have been able to participate in the workforce is because the Government supports the employer through the payment of their wages. This is known as the wage subsidy scheme, WSS, as opposed to the tempo…