In the seven days to 13 September, there were 74,796 Covid-19 tests completed and that is the highest number of tests in a single week since the beginning of the pandemic.

It is a significant ramping up of testing. There has been quite significant pressure since schools returned, which is normal and to be expected. The system is coping with that. The Deputy knows full well the advice for Dublin. I stated that advice yesterday in the Dáil.

The Deputy knows full well what is the advice. I will state it again. Those living in Dublin are encouraged to limit travel outside Dublin if possible. When outside the county they should not meet with more than one other household. That is the advice from NPHET that we have endorsed. It is the advice out there right now. There is no regulation or legal restriction but it is the advice. We encourage people not to travel outside Dublin. Of course, the Deputy knows this but she just wanted to come here and say there …

The Deputy keeps on doing it. It is a mantra. It is what the Opposition does.

I facilitated a briefing with the HSE on testing and the Deputy was presented with the figures from the HSE chief executive officer. The Deputy is doing a disservice to the work of the HSE in this.

I genuinely believe the Deputy is. The Deputy's entire approach to this is not to seek clarity but to undermine; it is not to amplify public health measures but rather to undermine them.

On the first point, I took the phone call from Deputy Kelly.

I fully appreciate his concerns, which I believe are genuine. The Dáil was adjourned for two hours.

The Deputy should calm down. He is very excitable. He is interrupting non-stop.

When news emerged that the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, was to be tested, the Secretary General of the Department contacted the acting Chief Medical Officer and he, to use his own language, in an "over-abundance of caution", said that Ministers should restrict their movements. The Secretary General was anxious that the Chief Whip would get the message and communicate it to the Clerk of Dáil Éireann. It transpired there were ramifications for the Dáil in that senior Ministers were told it would be u…

Correct. I am just making the point that everybody acted in good faith. The motivation was precaution in trying to prevent risk. There is no big mystery to it. The next question concerned the plan itself. The plan is fundamentally about protecting lives and livelihoods. That is its ultimate test of its sustainability. It is there for the long haul, that is, the next six to nine months. The National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, advice came in advance of the plan for Dublin and we felt it was better to implem…

I have made it clear that people should not travel outside of Dublin if possible. That is the NPHET advice. I said it to the Deputy and I am saying it again today. I said it publicly on the "Six One News" and the Tánaiste said it later on "Prime Time". A leaflet is going out to every household. That had already been decided as part of the communications plan. There has been very extensive planning around the communication of the plan, the significance of the various levels and so on.

I have outlined the very specific NPHET advice for Dublin, which the Government has decided to follow. There have been differences from the beginning. The original roadmap was not 100% identical to the advice of NPHET. There is a natural interface there. Deputy Kelly was among the first to come into the House and say that NPHET was too influential. I do not entirely agree. Public health advice is key to dealing with the pandemic. That was the original position which we all adopted in this House.

When I was in opposition I took a very strong position in support of public health advice from the outset of the pandemic. I did not seek to play politics with it, though I am not saying Deputy Kelly is doing that.

I thank the Deputy for raising this very important and pertinent issue. Maintaining the UK landbridge as an effective route to market has been a key priority in the Government's Brexit planning. The Irish Maritime Development Office estimates that there are approximately 150,000 landbridge movements annually, with an estimated trade value of €18.2 billion. This is a very important connection. As the Deputy outlined, many of these goods are agri-food products with a short shelf life, such as fresh fish, which makes …

I will come to that. I wish to state that in that context, we get no sense from the UK Government that there will be any attempt to undermine such trade. London is still adamant that it wants a comprehensive free trade agreement and does not want disruption. We have had no indication whatsoever of any negativity around the landbridge, or any attempt to undermine its importance to Ireland's exports to mainland Europe. The Department and those involved in the sector are of the view that we have sufficient capacity to…

I have discussed Rosslare Europort with the Deputy and she is aware that there are issues relating to its capacity to move very quickly or immediately on a €150 million project. Its planning application in terms of the master plan, which involves an investment of more than €30 million in customer facilities, port infrastructure, assets and new technology by the port authority, has already been lodged with Wexford County Council. There will be further resources under the Brexit plan. As far as we are concerned, what…

-----the capacity that is required but-----

The Government will do what is required in terms of our export trade-----

-----but we need to get what is already planned and initiated done and delivered.