I welcome Laura, June and Rob Cleeve from Canada. Laura is interning in Senator Richmond's office. I hope that they have a pleasant stay. They are welcome visitors to our country.

I welcome Senators back from their sojourns over the break and hope that they will have a productive term.

I thank Members for their contributions to the Order of Business. I thank Members who raised the cervical cancer screening inquiry, the Scally inquiry. Can we put the matter in perspective? Let us try to not politicise this issue and make it a political football.

I think that is quite funny.

It is not funny at all.

The Leader is making too many promises.

Order, the Leader to respond without interruption.

It is about ensuring that we get the information and the facts for the women and their families.

That is absolutely right.

That is why the Government set up the Scally inquiry. Let me reiterate that I have only one objective, as has the Government, which is to get the full facts in this case.

Everybody wants that. That is not the problem. Everybody wants the proper information. I agree with that.

The Scally inquiry was established and it was always accepted that an interim report would be published. The report was published on time yesterday. Extra time has been given at the request of Dr. Scally. The fact that Dr. Scally asked for more time shows that this inquiry is a complex and detailed one that requires thorough investigation. It also underlines the value of the independent investigation. Yesterday, the Minister for Health accepted all six recommendations contained in the report.

Well done. I appreciate what the Minister has done.

The Senator is out of order. The Leader, without interruption.

Let me clarify a point for Senator Ardagh. The initial payment of €2,000 is not a bar on further payments. I agree with the Senator that any request for further information or for records must be dealt with as a matter of urgency and must be a priority. Those of us who have worked in hospitals and who know something about medical records know it is not about going into file or clicking a switch. It is much more detailed than that. I hope people understand that the interim report has been published. As the Taoiseach said in the House today and as the Minister for Health said, it is important we get all the information. To clarify further, the €2,000 payment will be on top of any redress payment. It is an immediate assistance payment and separate from the Government commitment to a redress payment.

It is important we look at Dr. Scally's first report and recognise that the provision of information to women is comparable with that available elsewhere and in some respects it is better. It is critical that we get all the information for the women and the families involved.

Senator Ardagh also raised the issue of housing. It was a bit unfair of her to say nothing is happening in that regard. She should be looking at what we are achieving. The Government has five basic housing goals, which are to supply more homes; to supply more social housing; to supply more affordable homes; to protect tenants and landlords; and to prevent and reduce homelessness. We all accept that we have a housing issue but the way forward is to increase the supply of housing.

I ask Members to look at the EUROSTAT figures which show that one in three people in this country is living in an under-occupied dwelling. I think that is an interesting statistic. We will have a further debate on housing. Under Rebuilding Ireland, the Government is committed to a plan to construct a minimum of 25,000 houses. There has been an increase of 27% in planning permissions since 2016. There has been an increase of 27% in commencement notices since March 2017. ESB connections have increased by 30% in the last 12 months. The Central Bank has forecast that 23,000 new homes will be built this year and a further 27,000 will be built in 2019. Registrations increased by 41% in the 12 months from March 2017 to March 2018. Building regulation figures show that 2,367 houses were built in the first three months of this year, which represents an increase of 45% on the figure for the first quarter of 2017. The number of people employed in the construction industry has increased by 14%.

Notwithstanding some of the figures, I accept the point that Senator Boyhan has rightly made, which is that it could be time for an independent housing validation body. I would certainly support that. Such a body, like the CSO, would end the acrimony and political gamesmanship that surrounds these issues. I fully concur with Senator Ardagh that Eileen Gleeson's comments should be treated with absolute sincerity and seriousness.

I thank Senator Boyhan for his comments on the British-Irish Parliamentary Assembly. I welcome him and the Leas-Chathaoirleach back. He made an honourable request for statements on the marine spatial strategy. I am happy that such a debate is taking place this week. As the Senator said, we need to have more discussions on our marine life. We need to take full cognisance of it as an important element of our discussions.

I join Senator Conway-Walsh in welcoming the decision to bring an appeal in the case of the hooded men. I hope it will bring about a positive conclusion.

Senator Conway-Walsh also spoke about sodium valproate, which is an anti-convulsant drug. General practitioners and other doctors have been given advice on this drug. It is important for us to get answers in this regard.

I thank Senator Conway-Walsh for raising the issue of audiology services in the west. It is important for the 49 children and families who have been left in a vulnerable position to get answers in respect of this matter.

Senators Bacik and McFadden mentioned last week's Dublin Honours Magdalenes ceremony, which was a fitting tribute to the ladies in question. It was emotional to watch the ovation the women received outside the Mansion House. I thank everyone involved in the matter, including the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, who expanded the redress scheme.

I join Senator Bacik in welcoming the clarification from the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health in respect of the legislation that is being introduced on foot of last month's referendum on the eighth amendment.

I join Senators Bacik and Reilly in wishing every success to everyone who is participating in national bike week. As an important part of our new and modern Ireland, we need to look at how we can make our cities more user-friendly for pedestrians and cyclists. We need to do more work on this. I am aware that Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the National Transport Authority have been involved in creating cycle lanes across many cities. There is a need for such support to continue to be given. When the legislation comes before this House, I am sure we will not obfuscate or prolong the debate.

Senator Reilly raised the difficulties with the water supply to houses in Skerries. I join him in calling for greater planning between Irish Water and local authorities. He mentioned that there have been 20 water outages in a particular area, which is totally unacceptable. There is a need for ongoing negotiation and dialogue between Irish Water and the local authority in the Fingal area as a matter of urgency. I know the Senator attempted to raise this issue as a Commencement matter today. He might be successful on another day.

Senator Murnane O'Connor spoke about the Passport Office. I would be happy to give her the reply from the Minister today. I can tell her that in the first four months of this year, the number of applications received increased by 10% compared to the same period last year. This represented an increase of 25% on the equivalent figure for 2016. This is a sure sign that people are travelling, the recession is over and people are feeling more confident again. Notwithstanding that, I want to-----

I think that is missing the point.

I want to-----

The Senator can have a chat with the Leader later.

People are going to the passport offices-----

Unfortunately-----

It is not all about holidays-----

The Senator knows-----

That is totally wrong and the Minister of State's reply-----

The Senator can hold her view but she cannot express it now, unfortunately.

I will bring the Minister of State to the House again.

The Senator is out of order, I am sorry.

The information was wrong.

The Senator can check it out after the debate.

What information was wrong?

Please allow the Leader to continue without interruption.

Which part of the reply was wrong?

We cannot have a debate on the matter. The Leader should carry on with his response.

Passports are very important and issues with them can affect people as they travel for work or leisure. The passport offices work flat out to ensure that applicants' needs are met. A total of 220 extra staff have been employed in the passport offices. There is an unprecedented demand for passports and the Passport Office has taken a number of initiatives to address it. The office has shown an ongoing commitment to innovation and reform. I commend the members of staff in the passport offices in Cork and Dublin who do Trojan work.

It is also important to recognise, as Senator McFadden outlined, that there is an online passport service. I used the service and received a passport card in a timely fashion. I also had the pleasure of visiting the Cork passport office where I filled in my information on a machine, sat down and took a number to wait. I was interviewed within half an hour, after which I filled out the necessary paperwork and received my passport in jig time. This was done for me without fuss after I walked in off the street.

While I accept that there are people who have difficulties with passports, we must commend the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Simon Coveney, and the staff in his office on the work they do in ensuring people are facilitated when emergencies arise and they need to travel for medical or humanitarian reasons. It is unacceptable for a Senator to engage in grandstanding on this issue.

The backlog in processing passports is being addressed. I reiterate for the Senator, who perhaps does not want to hear good news, that 220 extra staff are employed in the passport offices. It is important to recognise that demand for passports is increasing. The number of passport applications received in the first four months of 2018 was 10% higher than in the same period last year and 25% higher than in the same period two years ago. I accept that we need to do more but let us not play politics with the issue. A great deal of work is being done.

Senator Gabrielle McFadden raised the important issue of Project Ireland 2040 and the €4 billion funding commitment. This is a sign of the Government's ongoing commitment to the revitalisation of the State.

I thank Members for their contributions. As the summer recess approaches, I look forward to five productive weeks in the Houses. Much work remains to be done and there will be some late nights. I thank Members and staff and look forward to everyone's co-operation during the next five weeks.