Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to commence by discussing the rules. Yesterday was one of the most bizarre days we have ever put down here on a number of fronts. As a country, we have a limited Judiciary in operation. Yesterday, the Executive basically went into self-isolation and this Chamber, the Legislature, stopped for a period. These are the three arms of the State.

I would like to know what happened yesterday, so will the Taoiseach write to the leaders in the Opposition detailing how the Dáil ended up being suspended? I asked the Ceann Comhairle to do the same and, in fairness, he has written to me on the matter. I would like the Taoiseach to do the same. I would like to know what happened. I rang the Taoiseach and, in fairness, he returned my call, considered the matter and the Dáil recommenced. I would like to know the detail.

I ask the question because this could happen again and we just need a contingency plan. For example, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Simon Coveney, is going through some really detailed negotiations on our future as it is affected by Brexit. We need to know that there is a contingency plan for the Executive and these Houses. Can that be communicated to us?

I will also ask about what was launched yesterday. We need to move on and get the country behind us. The Labour Party and I support the plan. However, I do not understand why the Taoiseach did not come to us all before yesterday to say the Government was not ready but it wanted to align with NPHET advice and slot everything into five levels. There could have been a heat map for every county indicating which stage the county was at instead of having a hybrid position for Dublin. I did not know what to tell people in Dublin yesterday.

I would like clarity on the following matters. I know people who are going to weddings outside Dublin. Should they go? There is a coach operator in my constituency who has 14 people who have been re-employed and who cannot go back to the pandemic unemployment payment. The bookings are for the west of Ireland but the majority of customers are from Dublin. Should they go? The Taoiseach should be clear about this. Should those people taking trips down the country, probably people without children who waited until September, go? The Irish people will support the Government if it is just clear.

Will the Taoiseach come out with a communication plan for everybody in the country? We should remember that the majority of infections now are present in people under 45 so how we communicate with them is different from traditional media. Fair play to The Irish Timesfor producing a graphic detailing the plan, although I know the Taoiseach's party tried to jump on the bandwagon. It is the best example of how to communicate the plan. Will the Taoiseach put together a plan to communicate this across social media and into every house in Ireland for the next six months?

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