Sinn Féin Party has four speakers for its slot beginning with Deputy Clarke.

Deputies Richmond and Colm Burke are sharing time. I remind Members that at 8 p.m. I have to move the adjournment.

I support Deputy Howlin's amendment. As I said when I called the vote last night and by having the vote, this Bill is rushed and there has been no pre-legislative scrutiny. As I also said last night, we have supported every piece of legislation from day one, when this first broke around St. Patrick's Day, blindly, I would say, and in a rush, but in good faith. The public and the publicans have shut their doors and everyone who was asked to do anything has done it - the vast majority, with maybe a tiny percentage of…

I am really disappointed with the Minister. I defer to Deputy Howlin, who has had a long service in the House and, as a Minister in a number of Governments, was in that seat putting through legislation and dealing with the Teachtaí Dála who wanted to make amendments or whatever. He is dead right. We are down to a matter of two words. On Sunday, I heard a representative of an organisation - I cannot remember which one it was - questioning the uncertainty and the unclear guidelines under which gardaí must operate in …

I am aghast that the Minister will not remove the words by accepting the amendment. Many Government backbenchers are in the Chamber talking about supporting publicans but they will be voting against them. There is no roadmap or legislation to allow the pubs to open. There is no green light. I spoke at the meeting on Monday with NPHET, which Deputy Howlin and the Taoiseach also attended, and we were given no idea of when pubs might open. We were told it could be next March. This is the problem. The Government is dan…

In support of that, I was at the Business Committee-----

I will be brief because I know time is short for amendments and the debate. This is more draconian legislation. I have heard regularly from people of machinery being stopped on the road. The Road Safety Authority checks on a machine to see if it is working and use ceases for the day. Such a person has the chance to go back. However, if a licensed premises is closed like this, it would have an unintended, or maybe intended, impact when the licence holder goes back to licensing in September. I wish the Government peo…

This is fundamentally flawed and it is grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented, GUBU, territory. I support Deputies Boyd Barrett and Barry in their opposition to the section but it appears the Minister is not for turning. It is always the sledgehammer at a time when we are trying to bring the people with us. Ní neart go cur le chéile. The people have been with us but they have grown weary. We are putting through legislation to enable a provision that will probably be used where the Minister for Health ma…

I wish to support the amendment tabled by Deputy McNamara. I reiterate that I do not believe this legislation has anything to do with reopening the pubs or a roadmap for the pubs. It is just giving more power to the State to do what it likes. The sunset clause is not adequate. As I stated earlier, a lot can happen before the sun goes down. We do not know when the sun will go down on this because, as night follows day, the Minister will roll over this power and keep it. As Deputy McNamara stated, the State loves the…

On the same matter, this is farcical in the extreme. Section 13 gives the Minister for Health powers to introduce different regulations, as Deputy Howlin has alluded to. There is so much uncertainty around this area. We all bought into this situation in good faith back in March last and we did our best with regard to emergency sittings and legislation but this is a step too far. We are legislating to penalise and criminalise people and to further penalise a sector of the community that is already closed down and so…

It is the wrong Minister.

We are going to have the wrong Minister.

We have had the lecture already. It is our duty to scrutinise this legislation and ensure the public can support it.

What the Government and the Chief Whip have done amounts to downright blackguarding. Some 14 groups will have spoken in today's debate before our group gets to speak. If the experience over the past four years and before has taught me anything, it is that Government backbenchers have a habit of not turning up. The Ceann Comhairle is well aware of that, as is everyone else here. As I said when we last debated this, this is a three-card trick. We will not be able to know when our group is to speak. We had a situation…

I am delighted to congratulate the Minister. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Teachta agus lena chlann go léir. Deputy McConalogue's wife, Jackie, his two young boys, his home town of Gleneely in the north of Inishowen and the entire constituency of Donegal will be delighted. Importantly, the new Minister comes from a farming background. I thank the previous Minister, Deputy Calleary, and acknowledge that he had resigned before the 8 o'clock news the morning after the story broke. He is an honourable and decent politi…

Having listened to this debate all day, I am not reassured that we will have what Deputy Durkan and other speakers are calling for, namely, that in tandem with this quite draconian legislation, which was introduced without any pre-legislative scrutiny, we will have legislation to allow pubs to open. A carrot is being dangled in front of Deputies to get them to vote for this quite severe legislation. The Bill did not undergo pre-legislative scrutiny. It was only presented to Deputies a couple of days ago. The time a…

I am begging the Minister to be careful in terms of the language that is used. We had a briefing the other day with NPHET and the Taoiseach.

Immediately after that meeting, Dr. Ronan Glynn went out and talked about a lockdown. They are not listening.

My understanding from the Ceann Comhairle was that the vote would be taken tonight.

My understanding was different.