The reopening of the country has been widely welcomed by businesses. I wish every business that is open all the very best. We should support them all. There are day care centres from Donegal to Tipperary, where there are several, that have tremendous voluntary boards of management, workers and volunteers. People, especially older people, have missed those centres. They have missed the acts who perform at those centres, the likes of Stefan Grace and others, who entertain them free of charge. It is part and parcel of…

This Bill was published on 4 May last. I take this opportunity to raise the general issues that fishermen are experiencing. It is important that those issues are highlighted. I do not know what is wrong with the Government. It is so blasé and careless that it has not had any public consultation on this Bill whatsoever, no pre-legislative scrutiny and no regulatory impact analysis. Is this government by diktat? Have the Government's emergency powers gone to its head or is it just sheer laziness? Is it a matter of di…

No, I am sharing time with Deputy Michael Healy-Rae. Deputy Collins has already spoken on this Bill. Is Deputy Michael Healy-Rae here?

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for that information. I was just getting into top gear with the navy. I do not know the name of the ship, but we have very few of them now and the navy also has fewer personnel. I have no direct experience in this area, but I have learned a great deal from the experience of my colleague, Deputy Michael Collins. He is one of the hardest working Deputies to ever come out of Cork South-West. I refer to what he has done for the fishing sector. I remember the day of the protests in Cork…

On a point of clarification, I am a member of the Business Committee and I must interrupt the Minister of State. We get waiver requests all of the time from Departments. If the Government did not request it, how did the committee grant it? That needs to be clarified.

I too compliment the people of Donegal. "The Homes of Donegal" was Bridie Gallagher's lovely song. I danced to her on my honeymoon in Jackson's Hotel in Ballybofey but they kept to their homes today. These people provided their own homes. They are here to bring their plight to Government but the Government is not doing enough for them because looking after big business is the Government's priority. We saw it with the banks. We see it with insurance companies every day of the week. We see it with the beef cartels. W…

I cannot emphasise enough the problems for the agriculture sector in this country. Everybody - even city people - is only a generation away from this sector. The Tánaiste's family farm is down in Dungarvan. The importance of the talks at present under CAP is vital and there is a huge fear out there that the Minister, Deputy McConalogue, is at sea. We have been devastated in fisheries with Brexit. We cannot allow the big factory farmers and the conglomerates to dictate policy. The Tánaiste stated earlier in a reply …

Go raibh maith agat.

We will now move to Deputies Harkin and Connolly.

We are running out of time because we have Leaders' Questions at 12 noon. Will the Deputy give a number of minutes to her colleague, Deputy Connolly, who introduced the motion? Deputy Harkin can see the clock. We have run behind; I am sorry.

Yes, but we went over time during the debate. I am sorry. The Deputy might try to do as best as she can with her colleague.

There are only four minutes left in total.

I accept that; I am sorry.

The Leas-Cheann Comhairle is always very decent with her discretion so I will allow extra time.

Deputy Harkin may carry on again.

Last week in the House, the Taoiseach said he did not want to see any man or woman working in the arts to be discriminated against. There is consternation in the arts industry this morning after the announcement yesterday that the lower paid, those earning under €20,000, have got nothing. They are the most vulnerable and the most in need of supports. There are three different layers for different turnovers and grant aid but there is nothing for those earning under €20,000. This has been going on for the past 12 mon…

I too welcome some aspects of this plan. The VAT rate certainly must be maintained. I thank the county council officials for dealing with the rates waivers and the social welfare officers who have dealt with people meaningfully during the lockdown, which was imposed for too long. We caused all of this trouble. I am very disappointed that we are getting somewhat less than €1 billion out of €750 billion. Where is the solidarity? Turas Nua is not fit for purpose and we should not be spending 40% or 50% of these funds …

I am truly shocked that the Minister persists with these draconian measures. He sees the rising opposition, thankfully in the House as well. People have woken up to see what is going on: the power grab. The Government has consistently and deliberately stoked fear over the coronavirus while behaving like an authoritarian regime, relying on police state tactics. The Government's handling of Covid has resulted in the State's exercising coercive powers over its citizens on a scale never previously attempted. The ease w…

It is shocking, though. I have asked the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, the Ceann Comhairle, the Whip, Deputy Chambers, and everybody else for answers, which we are entitled to get. We cannot get them. That is a dangerous place to go in a democracy. I am fully opposed to this. I will not take any more time from anybody else.

I, too, object strenuously to this. We had no pre-legislative scrutiny of the legislation, which relates to four Acts. There was meant to be a cancellation of the sunset clause in June. The legislation is being guillotined with two and a half hours of debate tomorrow for all Stages. It is a total insult to democratically elected people here and is unacceptable. I am fully opposed to it.