David Stanton (Cork East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman. I will be very brief. I assume that all members are getting emails from constituents - I certainly am - who are concerned about the emergency legislation that is to be renewed again on 9 June. They are calling for reviews of this and so forth. We are moving out of restrictions and lockdown thanks to the work of all involved. I am wondering whether the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 will be renewed on 9 June as scheduled. That has an impact on employment, jobs and so forth.

The other thing that has been missing all along is the issue of interpretation. A query was received yesterday about whether drive-in cinemas are allowed at the moment. To me, drive-in cinemas are quite safe. One sits in one's car looking at the big screen and not interacting with anyone. However, the Garda has interpreted them as not being possible under the current restrictions. We need to have a debate about how we move forward from here and open up the economy, especially under the various pieces of emergency legislation that were passed by the Houses and that all members want to see rescinded as soon as possible. That is a very broad issue, but it is a very fundamental and important one.