Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To be fair, I recall the pub owners themselves, in tandem with the previous Government, saying that they needed to close at the time they did close. In terms of the reopening under phase 4 of the roadmap, there will be a Government meeting tomorrow to discuss it. NPHET is meeting today and will give us its up-to-date advice. I am taken by some of the points made by Deputies McNamara, Cahill, Michael Collins and Mattie McGrath in terms of a rules-based approach sometimes being far more effective. I said earlier that what is of more danger than anything is a situation where we have 30 or 60 people at a house party or parties taking place on certain roads in our cities, and we will have to do something about that. I am making the same point that Deputies Collins and Cahill were making that where there are rules, behaviour follows.

The Garda Síochána has indicated that while its members did have some challenging experiences the weekend before last in identifying breaches under Operation Navigation, the large majority of premises were compliant. The reports this weekend likewise suggest a large degree of compliance with the rules. That said, there are other issues arising in terms of the virus itself and its activity levels, and all of that has to be taken in the round. We will get the advice today and will make a decision tomorrow. I am taken by the point regarding the need to give people notice and allow them time to prepare. I accept that point.

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