Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I too am opposed to the motion, on the same basis. I have asked consistently that we go back to Leinster House. We have the medical advice from NPHET but we have to accept the WHO's advice that a distance of 1 m is acceptable. Many of our hospitals operate with that distance. Our schools have been back for ten days. Many are using small prefabs, and many have 13 classrooms. Many businesspeople, the meat factories and many other types of organisations are operating according to the advice to which I refer.

I thank the Ceann Comhairle and the members of the Business Committee for their detailed consideration of the proposals this morning. We in the Rural Independent Group made a submission and it was discussed. I thank the secretariat, which is now going to engage and consider a roadmap. It is all a matter of roadmaps, obviously, but I refer to a roadmap showing the way back to Leinster House so Dáil Éireann can work there safely with a 1 m distance, which we have proposed and which I hope can happen. The motion is premature and we will vote against it.

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