It is.

On a point of order, the question has been put and we would like a vote on this amendment. Under Standing Order 78, regarding the closure of a debate, I understand that it is our entitlement that a vote be taken. We are anxious that we have a vote on this. I ask the Minister to accept that and not to talk the clock down. This is an important group of amendments on which to vote and I ask that we move forward with that vote.

Under Standing Order 78, I propose, "That the question be now put."

I welcome the opportunity to speak in this debate. I acknowledge my colleague on the Business Committee, Deputy Mac Lochlainn, who has been calling for this debate on behalf of Sinn Féin for the past couple of weeks. It was nice to see it on the clár today. It is important that we have this opportunity to discuss the New Decade, New Approach agreement, which is a very important agreement. I am conscious that this is the first time I have spoken on Northern Ireland issues in this Dáil. I hope it will not be the last…

The Bill that is being presented to us represents a worrying political compromise between what should be delivered and what is being delivered because of opposition within the Government. As my party leader, Deputy Kelly, and other speakers have said, the Ministers for Justice and for Transport should be here, alongside the Minister for Health, who is representing the public health element. I noted when the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, was going through the provisions of the Bill that the majority of them rel…

There is a difficult balancing act to strike at this time - there is no doubt about that - but we feel that balance is not being struck at the moment, in particular in terms of the standing request for a third debate on Covid, which the Labour Party made prior to Christmas and has made every week since, and the increasing need for Taoiseach's questions. We do not vote against the Order of Business every week. We make our decisions week by week, but we feel that balance is not being struck and we ask that that be ta…

I thank the Minister and Minister of State. The Labour Party supports this motion. When it appeared on the Order Paper last week, it raised some eyebrows. The language seemed almost hostile and environmentally damaging. I thank the officials from various Departments for the briefing they gave to spokespersons on Monday, which set out what this was about and what it would lead to. The previous speaker's points were well made and I am sure more will be made. The delicate ecology of our seas and its protection are imp…

I thank all of the Deputies, parties and groups that contributed to the debate. Well, I would like to thank almost all of them. It will come as no surprise to the Government that we will not accept its amendment. It may come as a surprise, although I hope it does not, to Comrade Boyd Barrett that we will accept his group's amendments. I wish to comment on the Deputy's contribution. He spoke about the Labour Party and some in opposition showing humility as to when we got things wrong in regard to this pandemic. Ever…

The Deputy had his chance, so sit down. I did not come in-----

I have the floor. I am not going to be lectured on understanding workers. I do not have to put on a political costume and a caricature to pretend I am working class, like some. They do. This is a pro-worker motion. If they read it, if they understood it, if they took one second to remove themselves from their own regressive politics, they would see that this position is about a strong public health response to get people back to work and to stay in work, to get schools open and to keep them open. That is what this …

That is good to hear about Moyross. Our question is on mandatory hotel quarantine. We are expecting legislation next week. Everyone knows here and we are hearing reports about UK emigrants who are hanging out in Ireland for a couple of weeks to get through our lax procedures in order to get a back door into the UK. We have a situation whereby people who are travelling for non-essential reasons, i.e. going on holiday, are being fined €500, handing it over and still being allowed go on their holiday. Why are we so fa…

I will make a contribution including questions and if there is time at the end the Minister can answer them and if not, I ask for the answers in writing. This would be most helpful. On mandatory hotel quarantine, we are expecting legislation next week. We are all waiting with bated breath to see the detail. I have been contacted by a number of Irish people who went away for Christmas to visit family and have stayed away with the schools being closed. They are asking for advice with regard to coming back. Should the…

I am thankful for the opportunity to speak on this Bill. Thousands of workers in the aviation sector, at all levels and grades, are keeping a keen eye on what has been happening in the Dáil and Seanad in recent weeks, and they will also be doing so in the upcoming weeks. While the Labour Party will be supporting this Bill and while, like Sinn Féin, it looks forward to engaging constructively on amendments it will be submitting, we are surprised that, important as it is, the Bill is still about process and still tec…

I will ask questions back and forth of the Minister, if he will allow me. As of 13 January, 69,700 front-line healthcare workers had received a vaccine, according to the HSE's figures. The Minister stated, however, that as of Sunday next, 24 January, a target of 140,000 will have been reached, split more or less evenly between healthcare workers and people in nursing homes and their staff. If 70,000 - half of 140,000 - are to be vaccinated in the space of two weeks, how will those figures match up? Are we making an…

I raise that issue because we are at an important juncture in the vaccine roll-out. It is early, but confidence has been shaken by the incidents spoken about earlier. The first guiding principle of the sequencing document is transparency and practicality. Transparency is really important. The Minister and the HSE need to get this right now, to fix the mistakes and get confidence going. Resentment is breeding within the healthcare sector, as we are hearing through our constituency offices. There is one group of heal…

That would be most helpful. The indicative dates for everyone else in all those groups - October, November or whenever it may be - such as meat plant workers, other healthcare workers, dentists and retail workers, may shift and change based on supply but, again, transparency and communication will help. My worry is that if the Government goes wrong here, resentment will breed and we will end up with some kind of The Hunger Games feeling in the country in respect of the vaccine. We must avoid that at all costs. Ther…

Before asking my questions, I wish to say that my thoughts today are with the victims and survivors who passed through our mother and baby homes. I will speak and leave the Minister with a few questions. The first matter of two that I wish to focus on is that of travel. The Minister knows how strongly I felt about a proper regime of testing and follow-up contacts in respect of people travelling to this country. The requirement for a PCR test within 72 hours in advance of travelling is a welcome step, but it is nowh…

Will the data be published?

The Minister of State's statement this morning hit the right tone at the start. It was regretful and there was even a hint of contrition at the fact that we are a laggard in terms of meeting our climate change targets within the European family. She mentioned that we are not alone and that Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands are also in a similar boat. We may not be alone but we are in a minority - a sorry minority - of countries that are falling way behind. While the Minister of State's statement hit the right n…

This motion from the Rural Independent Group runs to just over two pages on the Order Paper. I searched closely with my own eyes and did a word search online because I could not find the word "vaccine" in it, which I found shocking. It calls on the Government to "publish a clear, transparent and concise exit strategy from this virus, so that everyone can begin to plan for the future and know that there is light at the end of the tunnel". The rest of us in Irish politics for the last number of weeks, particularly th…