Why are we so out of synch with the rest of the world?

Yes, we are. Do not mislead the House.

For God's sake Taoiseach, tell the truth at least.

I am not making political capital out of it.

Do not accuse me of seeking political capital.

I have raised this issue constructively for 12 months.

I do not want to either, but I want answers.

The Minister is right that there is a legal and a public health dimension to this but there is also a purely practical dimension to it. The reality is that we will be opening up travel with the United Kingdom and there are transatlantic planes, which used to service Shannon Airport, that are now flying from Manchester to North America. The Minister is acutely aware of this, having an airport in his constituency. Once we have an open and common travel area with the United Kingdom, it is simply senseless if planes ar…

I would also like to know whether the Minister would use the word "genocide" to describe what is happening in Xinjiang province. If not, would he at least use the phrase "cultural genocide"? This is what it appears to be. It is designed to wipe the Uighur culture of the face of the planet, or at least of the face of Chinese territory and thereby off the face of the planet. Has the Minister raised this bilaterally with the Chinese mission to the UN or with the Chinese representation in Ireland?

If the Minister will not use the word "genocide" will he use the term "cultural genocide"? He spoke about the judgment of a court but that always follows many years after a genocide and consensus is developed years after the event. We can see what is happening before our eyes. There is considerable evidence from reputable media and other governments that have more advanced capabilities to monitor what is happening in China. We do know what is happening.

I would make the point that we call out international crime for what it is for the same reason we call out domestic crime for what it is. It is not just to punish or as an act of retribution but also to deter its recurrence. We should recall that in the week before Poland was invaded in 1939, the German Chancellor, Adolf Hitler said "Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?" These things recur until they are dealt with, which buttresses the points made by the previous speakers. It is also …

I agree with the Tánaiste that today is a day of hope across the entire country considering some of the announcements that are being made. In particular, it is a day of hope for the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and her husband, whom I congratulate. It is a day of hope in the mid-west but we cannot live on hope alone. There is a marked absence of announcements on when the hospitality industry will open. I refer in particular to hotels and bed and breakfast accommodation. There is an absence of a plan for the aviation s…

I am glad the Tánaiste is not suggesting this is free money because it is a benefit that accrues from working. I am glad he agrees that women should not be penalised for going on maternity leave. It is unlawful to penalise them in the private sector. Will the Tánaiste at least address in the short term the issue whereby those going on maternity leave have to come off the PUP and take a lesser payment? I was about to call the Tánaiste "Taoiseach" because he speaks sometimes as a bystander. He has been Taoiseach of t…

Answer his questions, for God's sake.

I am sharing time with Deputy Joan Collins. I would like to establish the parameters of this question and answer session. What does it mean when the Minister says something in this House? If a Minister says something in a parliamentary democracy, we assume it to be true if words have meaning. To borrow a quote, it is a beautiful thing, the destruction of words. What does the Minister mean when he says that 80% of people will be offered a vaccine by the end of June? I ask because the Minister previously stated: I as…

The question is what words mean in this House. If they do not mean the truth, are they doublethink? If what the Minister says is untrue and he does not correct the record, we assume it is true and truth becomes untruth. How do we understand when he says, for example, that we will have vaccinated 80% of people by the end of June? How are we to understand if he says that no penal provisions are attaching to religious services, but fines are handed out for religious services and the State adopts a position in the High…

The Deputy should ask his question and get on with it.

It is designed to ensure that the Tánaiste is not answerable to the House on questions on promised legislation.

Yes. On the matter of the rural plan, I hope the Tánaiste will answer the question asked by Deputy Cannon, that is, whether there is any prospect of an acceleration of the rural broadband plan. If there is not, it is just fluff. What we can do is ensure that those who currently have broadband and Internet services get a proper service, but ComReg does not have sufficient powers in that regard. I have twice asked the Tánaiste about this issue. The most recent time I asked him about it, he told me legislation would b…

Is that the ComReg Bill?