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

My understanding is that the Business Committee is due to meet today, or that it can do so. We have no difficulty in engaging with the Business Committee, as the Chief Whip has made clear, to work out the arrangements that might be optimal for the House to debate all of these issues.

I hope Deputy Gannon did not mind that I interrupted him. The reason I did is because the Minister for Education and Skills gave positive feedback to the Cabinet on the reaction on the ground to the operation of schools. It has been agreed by all parties that keeping the schools open safely is an important societal objective. Children must have an opportunity to learn, develop and socialise within the school environment. I trust that everyone in the House is still supportive of that noble objective because children lose a lot when they miss school, some of which cannot be regained. I hope we can get agreement across the House. I understand that people have concerns and fears but I hope there will not be attempts to politically exploit them or undermine the genuine effort to try to keep schools open for the right reasons. I know that everybody in the House shares that objective.

I take the Ceann Comhairle's point that the House is meeting late into the morning and will potentially be late tomorrow morning or the morning after. We will do whatever we can to be facilitative and constructive with the Opposition on the ordering of Business.

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