Twice-----

That is not a multi-party approach.

At the outset I commend Deputy Lahart on an excellent, thought-provoking and challenging contribution. It was really good and very moving. There was so much in it and I hope his Government colleagues were listening because there are major issues about loss in many different ways, the real fear that that will engender anger and the absolute need for people to be given hope. I want to thank the Deputy for that. I believe his contribution stopped many people in their tracks and made us think. I have a few points to ma…

There is no doubting that the headline figure for the winter plan, €600 million, is very substantial and dwarfs any amount set aside in previous winter plans. It requires and deserves further scrutiny, however. The small print indicates that only one-third of the amount is to be spent in the current year and potentially two-thirds - the funding has not been secured yet - will require agreement in the budgetary process. Theoretically, just one third of the amount is to be available for spending this year. A lot of d…

I thank Sinn Féin for generously giving me some of its time. It is a pity we are under so much time pressure because I believe many people would like to contribute. It is an important issue. At the outset, I commend Deputy Gino Kenny on the work he has done in this area in bringing the Bill forward and allowing debate on this important issue in the Dáil this evening. We all accept this is an extremely complex ethical issue. It is sensitive and its complexity is all the more reason we should hear this debate tonight…

I am sure the Taoiseach would agree that we need to focus on giving stronger public health messages to control the spread of the Covid-19 virus because the indications are that many people across all age groups are not hearing the messages. That is the case for various reasons, which I will not go into now. The Taoiseach spoke at the weekend about using influencers and I hope he will go ahead and do that quickly. It is important that we use influencers for all age, interest and ethnic cohorts. I would like to see t…

I did not ask the Taoiseach to have the discussion about different strategies here. I am saying that a situation needs to be created where we can have that open discussion, where we are prepared to be open and frank and face up to the serious problems and challenges in testing and tracing. We need a forum to ask are we adequately resourced and ready for rapid test technology. Is it right that the HSE should be expected to manage testing and tracing while it is running the health service and coping with the demands …

No, that is not what is involved. We are talking about discussions.

It needs to be a cross-party-----

We know that when it comes to accessing public healthcare, cost is a major barrier. Sláintecare identified that as a major issue that needed to be addressed to achieve fairness. Four measures were announced in the budget, which would have been small steps along the way in this regard. They were to reduce prescription charges, improve the threshold for the drugs payment scheme, raise the income limits for medical cards for those over 70 and extend free GP care for six- to eight-year-old children. Those four measures…

Given the unprecedented circumstances in which we find ourselves, it is no surprise that we are talking about an unprecedented level of public expenditure. So far this year, expenditure has grossly exceeded projections and that is all down to the Covid pandemic. We are in the most extraordinary of circumstances and we all accept the underlying reasons for the substantial additional expenditure. My party very much supports the approach that has been taken by the Government in prioritising public health and the healt…

Anybody tuning into the press conference this morning expecting to get clarity and coherent advice will have been bitterly disappointed. The press conference today brought a Government message that was confused and extremely confusing to the public. The new plan was supposed to provide clarity about the five levels of risk, yet on the first day of the announcement, the Government decided to muddy the waters by talking about level two and a bit. People wanted direction and political leadership. People are worried an…

No, there is not.

The Taoiseach must accept-----

It is level 2, then.

What about visitors?

That is not what I am saying.

The data confirm it.

I did not say anything about the pubs.

Like thousands of other people, I listened to the press conference this morning and I found it extremely confusing. In regard to Dublin, people in Dublin desperately want to fight this virus and they want clear advice. The Taoiseach said this morning that the country is in level 2 yet the level 2 regulations do not apply to people in Dublin. Dublin is not in level 3, so what level is it in? The term level 2.5 or 2 plus a bit applies because the message is confusing. Dublin is not in level 2, so what level is it in?…