The cross-border health directive is an EU directive. I explained that to the Deputy the last day. Britain is leaving the European Union. Deputy Michael Collins knows that. I have told him. What happens is the EU directive does not apply to the UK anymore and it is no longer obliged and we then have to develop a bilateral agreement with the United Kingdom, a similar scheme which we would have separately with the UK as we have had with the European Union. That is currently being considered and discussed with the UK …

I apologise to Deputy Michael Healy-Rae if there was any offence. I meant it in good faith.

It was said to me, by the way, by a clinician. The Deputy may not have realised who was who but that is fine. That is evidence of the degree of energy he applies to the scheme, making sure to inform people who do not know that they can avail of the trip to Belfast.

Absolutely.

In any event, the most effective way of dealing with this is to build capacity locally and in the region in order that we do not spend excessive amounts on people having to travel outside of the jurisdiction.

Does the Deputy understand that Brexit is happening?

It is happening on 1 January. Does he understand that EU directives will not apply to Britain from then on? Does he understand that? What does that mean?

Through the Chair-----

-----it means that as the European Union directive will no longer apply to Britain, we have to do a separate agreement with Britain in relation to that. The Deputy has not paid for any one of these cataract operations. The taxpayer pays for them. Let us all be clear about that. Anybody in this country is entitled to utilise the directive in any EU member state right now. Some Deputies can assist people to get on buses and hire buses and so on but it is the taxpayer who pays for it.

The State is ensuring that people do not go blind through-----

The NTPF paid €10 million for ophthalmology procedures in 2018. The Government and the State are not resiling from underpinning this financially. The NTPF is paying about €1,450 per cataract operation. That is outsourced to private hospitals here or in the North. Since I became Taoiseach, I have been anxious that we build up capacity in our own centres in order that people in west Cork, Cork city, Kerry, Limerick or anywhere do not have to go to Belfast or outside the jurisdiction to get cataract surgery done. That…

The Deputy is correct to say that we received advice on Thursday and Sunday. A lot has been done in public service and about capacity in acute services since the first lockdown in March. What is increasingly happening is that non-Covid-19 issues are being dealt with. That is why quite a substantial number of ICU beds are being used - they are predominantly being used for non-Covid purposes. That is the reality. With the winter initiative included, we are looking at a 30% increase in ICU capacity. ICU is not just ab…

Those in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment will be in a better position, relatively speaking. Obviously losing a job puts people in a very difficult position. We did not want to increase the number of people losing their jobs this week. That is one of the factors that fed into the Government's decision yesterday not to move to level 5. Quite a number of businesses may not be closed on a temporary basis, but may close long-term resulting in longer-term sustained unemployment. Prior to the pandemic, there …

It will not be possible to raise everybody's payment to €350 per week. There are limits to what the Oireachtas and the State will be in a position to do.

That is why we have to try to manage the situation in the most fair and sustainable way we possibly can. The implications of the pandemic for people will now go beyond April 2021. Therefore, we also have to spend money on creating jobs and work for people in areas such as construction and other projects, such as retrofitting, where we can create meaningful opportunities for young people in particular.

I have not been excluding anybody. I rang Deputy Shortall's co-leader, Deputy Catherine Murphy, last evening. I have been in regular contact with leaders-----

I did ring.

I did not interrupt.

There was a cross-party briefing.

Am I not going to be allowed speak now? With the greatest respect-----