Clearly, we are all on tenterhooks regarding the Brexit negotiations and how the deal will unfold. As things are moving at pace across the water in the United Kingdom, at this point it is hard to figure out exactly where it will land. Having had a cursory look at the text, on the face of it, it seems to be a very good deal for Ireland. The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste should be commended on the work put in so far.

Hear, hear.

Obviously, we need to ensure the deal can be brought home. There is no point in celebrating until we see that it can be properly implemented and is agreed to by our neighbours across the water. I will leave it at that for now.

The second item I wish to raise affects a lot of senior citizens. They are receiving scam calls from international numbers. If they answer them, they are charged up to €20. They are also receiving scam calls from Irish numbers. Callers purport to be representatives of Eir or other telecommunications companies and tell them that the Internet is down. They are instructed to plug in and give their bank codes. Many are taken in and scammed out of their hard-earned money. We need to do a lot more from a consumer protection point of view. The Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment needs to urge the Commission for Communications Regulation to be a little more proactive. One suggestion I have heard is that when someone rings an international or premium number, he or she should be alerted to the fact that he or she is ringing such a number before being connected. We need to send the message that phone scamming is a huge issue and make sure people are vigilant and aware of it. It is very easy to be a victim. Even the wiliest of people are falling victim to it.

The third item I wish to raise concerns home help hours. It is an issue I have raised in the house before. There are 6,200 older people across the country waiting urgently for a home help. In certain parts of the country, including County Kerry, north Cork, Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary, no one is waiting and it is very easy to receive support. However, in Galway, north County Dublin and other parts of the country there are long waiting lists. In Galway alone there are 674 people waiting. This clearly shows that there is a disparity. Where someone is living is a factor in whether he or she will have the home help he or she needs. It has been described as a postcode lottery. Everyone throughout the country should receive the same service, no matter where he or she lives.

I do not think it is fair that people who live in a certain area get a better service and more home help hours. I ask the Leader to invite the Minister to the House to address this matter, on which I look forward to having a debate.

For the first time, yesterday evening we saw the proposed Brexit deal between the EU and the British Government. Sinn Féin rightly highlighted the danger posed to this tentative deal by the extreme Brexiteers in the Tory party and the DUP. I acknowledge that the deal agreed by the British Cabinet yesterday is one that mitigates against the worst aspects of Brexit but there are other issues to be ironed out and matters that need to be clarified. We will all be busy this weekend with the 500 plus pages examining the detail of the deal.

Some of the issues can be addressed by the Government, and also by the Oireachtas, in particular issues relating to rights and representation. Some of those concerns were raised with the Government this morning by my party vice president, Michelle O'Neill, who was part of a delegation of parties representing the pro-remain majority in the North. The four parties the Taoiseach met this morning represent the majority view of citizens in the North. The DUP does not, and that is a fact. DUP representatives have been using the most incendiary, rash and ostentatious rhetoric in the past 48 hours, but ordinary citizens in the North, whether republican, nationalist, unionist or otherwise, recognise that Brexit is not good and they want a deal that protects their livelihood and future. Sinn Féin speaks for all of the communities on this.

Prime Minister May said the advice of the British Attorney General in respect of the withdrawal agreement would be made available to the House of Commons today. I presume the Government will also have legal advice, whether from the European Commission or the Attorney General. That should be made available in order that we can get the fullest picture possible of what is on the table. I very much look forward to having a debate in this House with the Tánaiste, Deputy Coveney, and going through some more of the detail as it emerges.

I acknowledge all of those who have been involved in the deal to date given that it appears to have protected the integrity of the Good Friday Agreement, and the work done by the Tánaiste, Deputy Coveney, with our representatives. From day one we said there needed to be special status for the North within the EU. Let us work together to do everything we possibly can to make it happen.