I am sharing time with a few colleagues. I will be slipping out to let them in. I pay tribute to the staff on the front line and offer my sympathies to all those who have lost their lives due to Covid-19. It has taken more than 1,600 lives in Ireland and more than 350,000 worldwide, caused untold mental strain, severely damaged businesses and disrupted many young people's education. Every single person across this country has had to make sacrifices as we continue to grapple with this problem. Amid all the suffering…

I am sharing my time with Deputy Murnane O'Connor. I thank the Minister of State for his contribution. I echo some of his words and acknowledge the work of our front-line staff across the Defence Forces, the healthcare system and the whole public service. They are putting in a phenomenal and Trojan effort in responding to this crisis. The collective effort shows their stellar contribution during what will be a very difficult time over the coming weeks and months. I welcome the re-enlistment proposals from the Minis…

I welcome Deputy Berry's amendment. In the last Dáil we had a lot of discussion about the Reserve Defence Force and the great difficulty caused by geographical displacement and recruiting Reserve members around the country. This will give a major signal shift to members of the Reserve, such that if they are required to serve, they will be able to retain their employment. The fact that there is a subtle threat in the current legislative framework undermines the Minister's power to ask someone to serve. It is importa…