We are just out of time but a few Deputies who wish to speak remain on the list. Some of them are not present but I will take the ones who are present if they ask their question in 30 seconds and then we will go back to the Tánaiste for a quick response. Deputy McAuliffe is not here. I call Deputy Murnane O'Connor.

I welcome the reopening of schools for students with additional needs. I know the living with Covid plan is coming. It was reported in the newspapers today that we could be going into another five or six-week lockdown. I have been approached by small businesses in Carlow that are finding it difficult as they are unable to trade online. The food sector is operating a click-and-collect system. Could the Government consider extending it to small retail businesses? I understand we must be 100% compliant with Covid restrictions, but it is important.

This week the Committee of Public Accounts has asked the Government to stall the recruitment process for the new Secretary General of the Department of Health. If the process goes ahead, an additional €81,000 will be provided in remuneration for the position. The committee also dealt this week with the ever-increasing spiralling costs for the national children's hospital. We have two different scenarios; one in which we are told that the spiralling costs cannot be addressed at this stage and another concerning an outrageous increase in salary that we can stop. I urge the Tánaiste to ensure that it is stopped.

Níl Deputy Tóibín anseo. I call Deputy Cahill.

I appreciate being allowed to ask a question, a Cheann Comhairle. I wish to raise beef prices. We set up a forum to address the crisis in the beef industry. One of the key demands of stakeholders is that there would be price transparency. In the past two weeks, meat processors have dropped the price by 15 cent a kilo, while all the market indicators are that prices should be on an upward trend. Can the beef forum deliver transparency for primary producers?

Deputy McHugh is not here. I call on the Tánaiste to respond.

Deputy Murnane O'Connor raised the issue of click and collect and whether we can restore it for retail businesses. We can certainly give that some consideration, but I cannot make any promises today. One of the difficulties that arose with click and collect is that it did cause people to leave the house to make journeys and interact with other people and there is a public health risk in that. We prefer deliveries to click and collect, but at some point it will come back, although perhaps not for a while yet. We will give it consideration.

The Department of Health will benefit from being led by someone who has a good record in containing spiralling costs. The new interim Secretary General has that record and may save the State a lot of money in that regard but, as far as I am aware, the process to appoint a new permanent Secretary General will continue.

I do not know whether the beef forum can offer transparency, but we will do our best to make sure it does.

That concludes Questions on Promised Legislation.