John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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It is not a question but a comment, so the witnesses will be delighted to hear they can relax after their long session. We are very grateful. The first Covid case in Ireland arrived on 29 February last year, and it seems like eons ago. It was a very significant turning point. I feel a little emotional thinking about it and I cannot imagine how Dr. Holohan and his team felt. It seems now that, without being complacent or taking anything remotely for granted, but in a guarded way, that we are in a phase of emergence and are coming out of the emergency. While I do not want to be so bold as to speak for the committee, I know I do speak for the committee and for many Irish people. We discovered in that time that through NPHET, NIAC, the HSE and the other statutory agencies, volunteers, the Defence Forces, gardaí, nurses, teachers, retail staff, emergency staff and all of those associated with every phase of this, and who continue to be associated with every phase of this, that Ireland had a resilient, independent and, most importantly, scientifically grounded team that stood its ground when it needed to stand its ground, and yielded when the evidence suggested that yielding was appropriate. I want to thank Dr. Holohan personally and all of those who work for him on behalf of the constituents I represent, and particularly those who endured seen and no doubt unseen sacrifices during that time, for the amount of hours that they invested in this whole endeavour on behalf of the State, as they continue to do and will continue to do. I thank them for their fortitude, their resilience, their consistency and their dedication to the task.

Irish people will know that if, God forbid, we entered an emergency phase again, we have exactly the right personnel to guide us through; that there is no need to fear and that we know so much. The country owes the witnesses an incalculable debt, for which we are grateful. We have never met them personally and I look forward to that opportunity, perhaps in a social context which is now allowed, to express our thanks on a one-to-one basis. It has always been on a screen. I thank the witnesses, on behalf of the people I represent. Our debt to them is incalculable. I ask them to keep up their good work. I hope they get a chance to recharge their batteries from time to time. I imagine they and their teams are exhausted, but they carry the best wishes of all Irish people.