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

The Deputy began by asking a number of questions about the events of yesterday evening. Again, the fundamental issue yesterday was Deputy Cowen's refusal to respond to my request that he address Dáil Éireann on the issue. I felt he needed to come into the House to clarify the issues that had arisen, particularly following my reading of the file and my discussions with him the evening before. He felt that would prejudice his rights in respect of the two processes that are under way concerning the data. That is the fundamental point. Prior to 2 p.m. he had not agreed to do so. When I went back to my office I contacted him immediately and made the point that it was not tenable if he was not prepared to come into the House at some stage to clarify matters. That is the essence of it.

On the Government's focus, the legislative output from the Government this month is probably the largest volume of legislation in any one month for quite some time. It needs to be said that it is designed to underpin our response to Covid and the economic recovery. The preparations are well advanced for the jobs stimulus which will be launched at some stage next week. Again, it is critical for the support of small to medium-sized companies and indeed people's livelihoods and incomes, particularly through the two pillars of the pandemic unemployment payment and the wage subsidy scheme.

On Covid-19 and travel, I met the acting CMO last evening. NPHET has provided advice to the Government. There will be a Cabinet meeting this evening on phase 4 of the roadmap and we will be responding to the advice that NPHET has provided to us. There is concern about increased numbers. They are not attributed to last week or the week before. There were some issues from mid-June onwards about behaviour and so on that we need to be very conscious of. The figures are still relatively low in Ireland.

We need to be very cautious and careful about how we proceed from now on in respect of this. My immediate priorities are to facilitate the reopening of schools, which is the number one national objective, and to maintain capacity in our health services to treat non-Covid conditions and illnesses. That is my approach.

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