Yes. If the Minister did not get the letter, I proposed that a mediator be appointed. I ask the Minister now whether a mediator will be appointed.

I would like the Minister to answer now, in the three minutes and 40 seconds available. Will he appoint a mediator between Clare Bus and the National Transport Authority? I also left messages on his telephone about this.

The Minister has not, to my knowledge, answered as to whether a mediator will be appointed, as I proposed to him in writing 50 days ago. Since then, other Deputies from Clare have also written to propose a mediator so this should not come as news. If it comes as news and if all of these letters and all of this correspondence has been lost, there really is a problem in the Minister's Department. I expect there is not. Will the Minister appoint a mediator between Clare Bus and the National Transport Authority with re…

In that instance, I will ask a follow-up question. Does the Minister think it is acceptable for a company to essentially be blackballed by a State authority as a lockdown looms? In this Chamber, his colleagues criticised Debenhams for using lockdown as cover to treat workers very badly. The National Transport Authority, under the aegis of the Minister's Department, is effectively withdrawing the offer of a contract to a company to which money is owed - a fact which the National Transport Authority accepts - because…

Clare Bus went through a similar process.

Rather than run down the clock-----

-----does the Minister think this is a fair way to treat workers?

Does the Minister think it is fair to lay them off under the cover of a lockdown?

Has the Minister no sense of fairness to workers?

Could the Minister respond to my questions within the five minutes allocated to me? Deputy Connolly also has five minutes. As the Minister knows, on 27 March the House gave extraordinary powers to the Minister for Health to introduce regulations. For almost two weeks, people adhered to the medical recommendations without any regulations. They were introduced on 7 April. The Minister was reported in the media as being one of those in favour of them. I am not asking him to comment on that, as it would be inappropriat…

I appreciate the Minister is answering the question, but I am conscious that Deputy Connolly afforded me time.

On 26 March, this House gave the Minister very extensive powers to bring in regulations to protect people from Covid-19. He did not do so for almost two weeks and people continued to behave responsibly. On 7 March, he brought in regulations and, on 10 March, he continued them. The next day, he said that when the R-nought rate went below 1, we would see an easing of restrictions. We did not see that for several days but everybody has continued to behave responsibly and to make huge sacrifices, and our health service…

My criticism is simply about the airports.

I was pointing out that people behave irresponsible without regulations.

The Government announced childcare facilities for essential front-line workers. Essential front-line workers are defined as healthcare workers only. These regulations are applied by members of An Garda Síochána. They are excluded. Why is that?

This is the first opportunity that I have had to address the Minister since the general election. One issue I campaigned on was dereliction in rural towns and villages. There are many derelict houses across Clare as there are in most of Ireland. Deputy O'Donohoe alluded to the problem. Shelley McNamara, one of Ireland's leading architects, who recently won the Pritzker prize for architecture, has spoken of the need for a pilot project and to look in particular at regulations to bring old buildings in our market tow…

Tomorrow, it is widely anticipated that the Taoiseach will announce some easing of restrictions. Tomorrow is May Day. It is the start of the mayfly season on Lough Corrib and Lough Derg. Fishing is something that people have done for generations, through the Spanish influenza, which was far more deadly than this disease has proven to date, and before that. By definition, it is a solitary activity by its nature. I ask the Taoiseach to bear that in mind in easing restrictions. The idea that An Garda Síochána's time w…

It is not appropriate for the Acting Chairman to be laughing with the Minister as the Chair is supposed to be impartial. A Member of the House is on his feet asking a question.

Last week, the Minister stated that he would answer questions on the development of the app. Will he share with me the briefing note he has on the app? Is the app open source? The importance of NPHET was raised. The Minister stated that he is the decision-maker but that he has always taken its advice and does not intend to ever not take its advice. As such, who is the decision maker? Who advises the Minister on mental health issues? The pandemic is taking a significant toll on people's mental health. I understand t…

I thank Deputy Fitzmaurice. I have three succinct questions. I represent a coastal county. Obviously, I am concerned with the plight of fishermen, in particular those with boats under 10 m. Is the Minister actively considering a tie-up scheme? The Minister said he wanted to do something but he has not said what it is. Is it a tie-up scheme? I refer to the beef task force. There are many constitutional constraints on this House - where it can sit, how it sits, etc. There are no such constraints on the beef task forc…