Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the clarification the Minister of State has given. While it may not necessarily apply in this case, if resubmission to the European Commission is required to make it right, that should happen. We should not rule something out purely and simply because it might take some time or require some paperwork. That is a separate issue. I never like to hear Ministers say that while something might or might not be the right thing to do, we are not going to do it because we might need to resubmit it. I know that is not all the Minister of State is saying.

I am content with the explanation given about the restrictions. The venues will be designated based on their capacity in normal times rather than their capacity based on Covid restrictions. I had not been certain about that and I welcome the clarification.

I ask the Minister of State to give me an assurance that he will keep a close eye on venues with a capacity of less than 1,000. I am concerned that these may fall between the cracks. I understand that the Department is busy. While we are talking about it today, it might not be a priority in a few months' time. That is not to say that people will not try and will not do their best, but it is in the nature of things. I ask the Minister of State to give me an assurance that the Department will keep a very close eye on this or that we can review the operation and have an opportunity to amend if required. The spirit of the amendment and the intention is to ensure that as many venues, events and people as possible are covered by the legislation. I would welcome an assurance from the Minister of State that the Department will pay close attention to the slightly smaller venues with a capacity of less than 1,000.