No, he said he discussed it before when he got the call from the Chief Medical Officer.

He said he contacted the Taoiseach afterwards. The only two people in Government who knew about this were the Minister and the Taoiseach and some of the officials.

Therefore the leaks seem to have come from within Government. That is what I was trying to get to the bottom of. The Minister said the Government would like to see more detailed options for the end of the four week period at level 5. I believe that we should have gone to level 5 and things look like we will go to level 5 in the next week or so anyway, with schools closing early for Hallowe'en. Maybe that will not happen. I want to tease out what the Minister said. What are the detailed options on carrying on as we …

The Minister said that two people knew about it.

No other European country is an island.

I fully support the motion moved by the Members of People Before Profit-Solidarity and RISE. This is very important in itself but it is even more important with what has happened this week and the way the news from NPHET has been received by the Government. I specifically refer to the Trump-like reaction of the Tánaiste, who rubbished the news when he got it but then told his party members, knowing full well that the news would be widely circulated, that it would happen anyway. In the meantime, the base is getting …

I am sharing time with Deputy Harkin. The Brexit talks are rapidly coming to a head and we see from reports this week that there are only really two items holding up agreement. One of those happens to be fishing. We in the north west and in all coastal communities around the country are waiting to see what will happen. Perhaps the British are using it to push for concessions on other matters from the EU. If that is the case, what would be the quid pro quo ? If the deal comes, the question as to whether it will be o…

I have received hundreds of emails from constituents across County Donegal who are involved in the arts and the associated live events industry, pleading for assistance. More importantly, they are looking for a simple recognition from the Government that their sector has been decimated. However, the Minister should dispense with the usual bland lip service. From talking to performers, I know the hardships they face in making a living in the industry at the best of times. I am sure we have all seen the emails from t…

I apologise for not being here for the earlier slot. I was not aware I was speaking in that slot as there was some confusion over the speaking arrangements for tonight. On foot of all that I ended up with two and a half minutes extra so I will have to try to fill that time as well after preparing for two and a half minutes only. I will try to make it up to five minutes now anyway. I am happy to contribute on this motion because it is very important. It is with a sense of pride that I support it but I do so with sad…

On amendment No. 1, the Minister indicated he would make a decision at a later date on timeframes and so on. Where is provision made for that and how would the Dáil know this? How would the Dáil make an input into that and how would we know the Minister would do it? That is very important. Amendments Nos. 59, 60 and 61 deal with the timing and type information that is to be given with regard to appeals. Will the Minister clarify what is wrong with the amendments and the reason he will not accept them? They are abou…

I pay tribute to Sinn Féin for bringing forward this motion. It is certainly doing what it is designed to do, which is basically to put Fianna Fáil in the spotlight given what the party and the Taoiseach have actually done. There has been much speculation of what his motivation was and so on. Unfortunately, I believe his motivation was partly to protect the Minister. If the Taoiseach introduced the measure, it would not come down on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and he would not have to do it wh…

There is no doubt that the Covid-19 restrictions around our society have been hard and necessary. It is incumbent on all of us to ensure that the restrictions are fully followed. As we are standing here today, it is quite possible and probable that my county, Donegal, will move into the next stage of restrictions in the coming days, but we will have to wait and see what happens. There are some restrictions that do not seem to make sense to me and many other people. I am thinking specifically of the restrictions in …

I thank the Taoiseach for his response but it does not go far enough. He spoke about visitor restrictions and how we are to deal with that issue. The issue here is not visitor restrictions but restrictions that are stopping one person - the support for a pregnant woman - from being present at vital times in the pregnancy. It is not about visitor restrictions or visitors attending maternity wards or anything like that; it is about more than that. If staff are at risk from the partner of a pregnant woman, they are al…

It is just as well I was here as I might have missed my slot. Five people submitted their names to speak tonight and have not bothered to turn up. I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the impact the Bill will have across the State. It was interesting to read the Bill and what it attempts to achieve. As with everything in society, money makes the world go around and that is certainly true for those who use illicit funds to support their activities. Along with other legislation that preceded it, t…

I fully support the motion before the House today because it is reasonable. I also support the amendment proposed by People Before Profit because the motion and the amendment combined would make a huge difference to many working lives across the State and would make very little difference to public finances and to the State. Those should be the criteria used by the Government in deciding whether to go along with the measures. There was the excuse at the start of the lockdown that this was a knee-jerk reaction and w…

I fully support the motion. I pay tribute to Deputy Joan Collins for the work she has done on behalf of the Debenhams workers and for bringing forward the motion. It is vital for all the workers to ensure they will get some compensation when they are made redundant. The implementation of what the motion outlines and the recommendations of the Duffy Cahill report would do that, sending out a strong signal that the State respects its citizens. It would be a sea change for a Government in this country to support worke…

I believe that a huge opportunity is being lost with this plan. The Government could have the chance to make the State really responsive to the needs of our society and our people. Indeed, it could be doing things like making sure that workers will be protected, as with the earlier motion on the Debenhams workers. The Government could also work to make sure taxi drivers are cared for and looked after, along with the 35,000 workers in the entertainment and hospitality industries who have been affected and who are be…

I seek clarity from the Taoiseach because I heard earlier that the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, which was due to end this week is to be extended until December. Did I hear that correctly? If it is being extended until December, will it be open to new applicants? Is it ending this week for existing applicants?

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on the Defence (Amendment) Bill. As has been said by a number of other Members, this Bill seems fairly innocuous. It may be out of date with some of the regulations that have already come into place. I have some concerns about it though the vast majority of the Bill is grand. It is interesting to note that under the Bill, a force commander would have the authority to arrest and detain a member of the Defence Forces. Would a force commander be a German, Swedish, …

Sometimes Irish.