I am not making these figures up.

I did not say that.

I did not say that.

They will not talk to the Government.

Given the Minister's responses to other questions on the decisions the Cabinet has just made, I think he is honestly making it up as he goes along. The fact that he came into the Dáil and said he did not believe there will be a fourth wave is absolutely extraordinary. What parameters were set down for the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET? Generally speaking, the Government would have to advise NPHET that we are part of Europe and have EU law, we know the vaccine passport will be in place on 19 July and …

Do not tell me the Government is only starting now. Presumably-----

You said you did not believe in it.

It is complete discrimination against young people.

This is complete discrimination.

That is impossible.

The census was correctly postponed because of the pandemic but we cannot hold off on it any longer because the data are central to all our decision-making. The date is now fixed for April 2022, as the Minister of State indicated, and I presume that is an absolute decision. If that is the case, when will recruitment for enumerators and extra staff that will clearly be needed this time around begin? Is there a plan to do this much quicker and will the process be paper-based? The census will contain eight new question…

I thank my colleagues in the Social Democrats for bringing this forward. The Minister has been handed a hospital pass, pardon the pun. It has been handed down to him by bad advice from officials and his predecessors. He will have to, in some way, manage to take that pass and turn it around for the people of Ireland because he has no other option. The letter from the St. Vincent's Healthcare Group yesterday was two fingers to the Minister. I spoke to the Taoiseach yesterday in this Chamber and asked him straight up …

Twenty-four hours is a long time in politics. Yesterday, when I raised this issue with the Taoiseach in respect of solutions, he told me to get real regarding CPOing this land. I am telling him now that the people of Ireland want him to get real. The Government cannot proceed as currently constructed. The statement yesterday by St. Vincent's Healthcare Group was a two-fingers to the Taoiseach, the Minister, me, everyone in the Chamber and the Irish people. The Taoiseach now needs to get real. I do not blame him for…

I do. I have said it for years.

Yes.

The people of Ireland want the Government to make the right decision. The Taoiseach spoke about this being an equation whereby it could take some period of time for the hospital to be built if we CPO it. To be honest, given the statement issued, unless the group has a complete change of heart, engages with the Minister and decides to gift the land, I do not believe the Government will have any choice because the public will not tolerate it. That is the reality. I do not say that with any glee. I do not wish we were…

I will conclude. If the group does not, in a short period, say, a month or so, meet the Minister and say that it will gift the land to the State, I ask that the Taoiseach pursue a full CPO of the whole site.

They have already said-----

We need leverage.

This morning, out of the blue, we learned that the Minister for Finance plans to flog off the remaining shares we own in Bank of Ireland. If we have learned anything from the crash it is that holding on to these shares puts a condition of good behaviour to some extent on the banks. The Minister has not told us what he is going to do with the shares, so I will ask the Taoiseach directly, for the people of Ireland. It is estimated that €700 million will be raised from the sales. On behalf of the Irish people, what ar…