Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

First, I am increasingly at a loss as to what this liaison unit is doing. The Taoiseach has cited its efforts - no doubt they are legion - to effect Dáil reform. Yet, not 40 minutes or an hour ago we had an exchange in which the Taoiseach steadfastly refused even the current accountability mechanisms not to mention any new innovation. I imagine we will all take that with a grain of salt.

Second, I have raised with the Taoiseach the issue of the need for provision for remote learning for children living with a medically vulnerable person. I have written to him on this. He has come back with a completely unsatisfactory answer - it is almost dismissive - to the effect that health and safety standards relating to mask wearing and handwashing and so on have to be observed by these children. By the way, their parents are terrified to send them to school, such is the nature of the medical vulnerability in their homes. That was the kind of brush-off answer I got.

Funny enough, when my colleague, Deputy Bríd Smith, raised the same issue with the Tánaiste, he was far more engaged on this matter. The Tánaiste informed her that he was engaging with the Minister for Education to establish exactly how an online platform could be provided for these children. There is neither rhyme nor reason to what the Taoiseach is at. He is blocking us from doing our job and, it seems, all the while not doing his own.

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