Is there a speaking order?

Sorry. Thank you for clarifying that.

I begin by apologising to Deputy Kelly. We did not mean to interrupt. Deputy Tóibín and I were agreeing that there were more U-turns on display here tonight than anyone would see at a Garda checkpoint. The Minister was asked a straight question as to whether he would be accepting any Opposition amendments. He said he would like to listen to the discussion on all of the amendments and then make an informed decision. I would like to believe that is the case but, unfortunately, as someone who understands how Dáil and …

It is now open to international travel. Many people from this State are travelling through it to travel internationally as we speak. That is what we have achieved. I hope the Minister will withdraw the guillotine and agree that these powers are extreme and that we need to debate them, even if that means sitting tomorrow, Friday, Saturday or Sunday because I doubt there is a rock concert taking place on those days. There is plenty of time and plenty of space. Let us debate what is involved. Let us get back to democr…

One of the weekend newspapers billed the Government's reopening measures as "going for broke". I sincerely hope that was not a pun and that the plan will succeed. I have been quite critical of some of the Government measures. The Taoiseach has never taken any responsibility for some of those measures and has always said it is because of Covid that this, that or the other has closed. On the other hand, he has said we have fared better than other countries. He has taken the credit but not the downside. I have long ar…

The Taoiseach did a good job of outlining what TAPS supported, and I welcome that, but how will that be supported now? He says there will be supports. I am told that nursing homes that have contacted Ministers have been told that, if there is an outbreak, moneys will be made available, but the point of all this is to avoid outbreaks, in particular those in congregated settings. Notwithstanding the high take-up of vaccines, there are still outbreaks, unfortunately. They are fewer in number and their consequences are…

It is too late.

It is not agreed. There is a proposal with regard to a Bill, which will provide that restrictions and lockdowns can continue indefinitely. That Bill is being guillotined. If the Government believes this is the right thing to do, then it should debate the proposals with the Opposition. The Government has the numbers. If it morally and intellectually believes this is necessary in the interests of the State and society, debate it.

The Taoiseach would want to be careful not to be treated like Keir Starmer.

They are. The people of Cork may not be.

It has been an extraordinarily difficult year for Shannon Airport. Throughout much, if not all, of the past year, it has not had a chair for its board of directors. Strategic decisions need to be made at Shannon regarding its aviation business but also in respect of Shannon Heritage and its future. The chair of a board of directors is there to provide strategic guidance. When the Tánaiste was Taoiseach, Shane Ross was his Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, and I am told he wrote a book about the experience.…

Do not forget about the medical conference.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The degree of absolute power contained in these regulations and similar enabling legislation is of concern to me. I am happy to state that I do not think the Minister has been corrupted by the power but I think he has become befuddled by the broad powers he has. I say that with no degree of pleasure. I objected to this legislation being put in place from the outset. I thought there was a propensity for it to be abused, and it was. No sooner was it announced tha…

It is still possible, even now.

On a point of order, I invite the Minister to correct that because a motion to annul a regulation was tabled in the House. It was voted down by the Minister and he corralled in behind him the sheep in the flock-----

To say that the mechanism was not utilised is misleading the House.

Thank you.

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle. In 2010 a tentative list of sites for designation to UNESCO world heritage status was put forward by this State. Unfortunately, nothing very much happened after that with regard to that tentative list. During my time as a Deputy in the Thirty-first Dáil, the Dáil before last, I took the opportunity to visit UNESCO to hear what was happening with the list and the body was surprised to hear from somebody from Ireland, such was the lack of communication or follow-up from here. I am g…

What the Minister of State said in regard to the process of application differs somewhat from the published criteria. The Minister of State said that applications must be made in conjunction with a local authority, but under the published criteria, any group can put forward a proposal. If one was a lip-smacking lawyer looking to judicially review a process, the Minister of State has given fertile grounds just now. One cannot publish one set of criteria and then apply a different set of criteria, which seems to be c…

I would like to make a final point.