Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Oireachtas is not fully functioning at present, as we all know. It is sitting to a limited extent in two different venues and committees are also meeting in separate venues. It is not, therefore, fully functioning. Mr. Herrick is thinking - perhaps I am wrong on this - that in a minority Government situation, such as that which prevailed in respect of the previous Government, it was possible for the Oireachtas to take the initiative because it was the Government and the Government was the Opposition and could only move forward with the permission of the Oireachtas. That is not the way it works under our system. If anybody can initiate, it is the Executive which has the power to do so. The prospect of legislation being passed is very limited unless it has the imprimatur of the Executive, which is the Government. That is our system and the system in most other European countries.

I am a bit concerned that we might be at cross purposes. If I were asked today to make a decision to relax the regulations in line with what would appear to be the thinking of the ICCL, I would be concerned that in the course of the next three or four months, there would be an upsurge in the virus. As a result, the finger would rightly be pointed at those in the Oireachtas or in the Government who allowed that to happen by way of relaxation of restrictions.