Joe McHugh (Donegal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

That was a comprehensive answer and it is good to see the response included upfront honesty on where challenges exist. In one particular area, the Department and HSE are working to deal with ongoing issues. It is important that we continue to be transparent. Information is key. Re-emphasising the seven-day week availability to principals will be very important in the days ahead. The intense feeling among primary and secondary principals and teachers, as the Minister of State knows, is they want to continue teaching. They see the progress and they want to be in a position to lead on the educational front and take a responsible position to lead on the health and safety front. They have dual responsibility. Following the meeting today and the comprehensive nature of the answer, I hope progress will be made.

Many people have varied opinions on what happened last night. As the evenings get shorter it will be a different lockdown at a different time from the lockdown in March when the sun was in the sky and the evenings were longer. Now the evenings are getting shorter. With regard to the 5 km rule, many people, and not just the elderly, go for walks in the evening. People in rural Ireland could be living ten miles from lights or from a town or village. We have to have due consideration for people who want to walk on a footpath in a safe area. We do not want people endangering their lives or putting their safety in jeopardy. We need to have closer scrutiny of this.

There is much conversation about the GAA. The GAA has always been here in the darkest of days when the country has been in the most difficult of times. It was there for the school meals programme at a voluntary level when I was in my previous role. Now that the evenings are short and people are in their houses, they have something to look forward to, whether it is intercounty football, hurling or camogie. It is something on which we should work hard. It is not a glamorous job for these GAA athletes. They are not getting on buses. They get changed at home and they go to training in their own cars and vehicles. It is a difficult time for them but they are providing a ray of hope for so many people in the country.

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