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

No, it is not. It is just an important point.

Deputy Boyd Barrett also raised the issue of the mortgage break and the lockdowns. We do not want people in a long-term overloading of debt. Of course, we do not. The evictions issues will be dealt with. The Ministers will see what we can do to make sure people with mortgages are not put under stress and anxiety and those people's situations can be helped.

In terms of earlier issues, I did not get to student nurses. Again, I will engage with the HSE and the Minister for Health on student nurses working on the wards in the current context. As they were earlier, they should be paid in accordance with the agreement arrived at earlier in the year. I will follow up on that.

The Deputy used the phrase "Covid on the cheap". Some 20% of our normal budget has been borrowed this year to deal with Covid-19.We now have a deficit of more than €21 billion. That will rise even further as a result of our going into lockdown. We need some accurate and precise language from time to time-----

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