The Minister for Justice went on national radio yesterday to bat in the Tánaiste's defence and said there had been engagement with NAGP throughout these negotiations. The Tánaiste is telling me that the Department of Health said there was no engagement. That is the problem. We have asked for these documents which are all covered by freedom of information to be released in order that there would not be any confusion on this matter. There was no engagement with the NAGP and the Department of Health. The Tánaiste, how…

I am not even going to go there because it is ridiculous that the Tánaiste is suggesting that he decided to take it on himself, with no engagement all through the process, to give a confidential document to a friend and this was supposedly fulfilling a Government commitment. The Tánaiste wrote in this document - in his own handwriting, I presume – "subject to amendments and changes". Does he accept that this document that he gave to his friend, the rival group to the IMO, which the Department of Health and the HSE …

This document was changed. I presume it was changed through ongoing discussion after this date between the IMO and the Department. If the Tánaiste wants to suggest that it was not changed - I do not think that is the Tánaiste's defence anymore - that is what one of his Ministers suggested yesterday, however. The Minister of State, Deputy Peter Burke, out to bat for the Tánaiste on national radio, told RTÉ that no other amendments were made to agreement, subject to the Tánaiste providing the confidential copy to his…

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Has the Tánaiste ever given Maitiú Ó Tuathail any other confidential information? Has he leaked any other confidential reports?

When this accusation was made to the Tánaiste by the Village magazine on Tuesday last, did he contact any other Cabinet colleagues to discuss this with them? We know he did not inform the Taoiseach until it was publicised on Saturday.

Is the Tánaiste aware of any other members of his Cabinet at that time being asked by any senior member of the NAGP for this contract?

Is the Tánaiste aware that Deputy Harris, his then Minister for Health, was approached by Maitiú Ó Tuathail on 9 April requesting this document?

I am just asking about his awareness.

Is the Tánaiste aware that on the morning of 10 April that the then Minister, Deputy Harris, responded to that, said he would make inquiries on that and saying to him, let us grab coffee soon?

At 8 o'clock on the morning of 10 April, the then Minister, Deputy Harris, said he would make inquiries. At 2 o'clock, the Tánaiste sent a message to Maitiú Ó Tuathail looking for his home address.

Can the Tánaiste confirm that at 2 o'clock on the same day, he sent a message asking Maitiú Ó Tuathail for his home address?

It is suggested by the Tánaiste's friend, Maitiú Ó Tuathail, that he met the then Minister, Deputy Harris, for lunch in Wicklow on the afternoon or the morning of 12 April. Is that something the Tánaiste is aware of or not?

Okay. There is another one where Maitiú Ó Tuathail asked if there had been any luck in getting that contract. That was the Monday. The Tánaiste said it should be in the post and acknowledges he will probably put it in the post on Monday, 15 April, or Tuesday, 16 April. The Tánaiste was Head of the Government at the time. There is a lot of information to be put out there. We heard from the then Minister for Health yesterday. He went on national radio but he did not tell one single person he was also requested for th…

We can establish a number of things. First, the confidential document, the draft agreement, was not complete. There were changes to it afterwards. We can establish that the Tánaiste's friend requested that document and that he told nobody in the Department of the Taoiseach, the Department of Health, in the HSE or in the IMO. He did not send it to the head office which is across the street. Instead, he decided to get the home address of his friend and post it in an envelope to him. He had a number of text messages a…

He had already tweeted about his acceptance of the agreement the week before.

I ask the Minister to clarify that because he says it is clear. He does say in the response that he will make inquiries on that and that they should grab a coffee soon. Did he make any inquiries about the contract to anybody?

We were told never again would residents in our nursing homes be abandoned like they were earlier this year. There is a situation in the west, however. I have spoken to the proprietor of that place. They have been begging in desperation for the HSE to help them for the past two days. They have not received that help. One nurse has been on call looking after 28 residents for 72 hours. Unfortunately, one of those residents passed away while others are being transported to hospital. The Tánaiste might not know the ind…

On a point of order, it is not a media report. It is a Department of Education report that schools cannot open tomorrow because of hand sanitisers.

This morning, the people of Cavan, Monaghan and my own county, Donegal, woke up to the news that level-4 restrictions would be introduced to stem the rising number of Covid-19 infections. I am aware of the great lengths people have gone to in recent weeks since the additional restrictions were imposed on those counties. People have made sacrifices to protect themselves, their families and the wider community. There is no doubt it has been difficult for people but I believe we can get through this together. In Doneg…