John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I listened to a debate last week in which Deputy McNamara described what was going on in the House as a charade, while some of the speakers during today's debate have described it as theatre. I do not disagree with them, because what we have had in the course of the pandemic is theatre, with very little attention given to democracy and to the work we should do to scrutinise legislation. This legislation is now before the House and, again, those in the Government parties have had little or no time to scrutinise it. The Opposition, which has a role to play, has not been listened to either. Legislation that is arrived at in this way cannot be, at all times, good legislation because not all the brains are contained in government. The contributions of many Deputies should be listened to and the mistakes in the context of legislation should be corrected before it is finally adopted.

The kind of incomplete legislation that there has been over recent months, some parts of it flawed, has led to what has happened in the course of this pandemic, namely, mixed messages from the Government. Each party of the Government is trying to get its message out, based on what it believes to be the legislation and the facts that were passed within it. They are getting it wrong and the public is being given a wrong message. It is not being given a clear message that can be followed without being changed and without making the political system and leadership look utterly foolish, and this adds to that confusion.

4 o’clock

Last year when we entered the pandemic, people around the world and certainly people in Ireland began to accept that this was a game changer and something they would need to deal with. They accepted that there was going to be a lockdown, and that they needed to co-operate and get on with it. Businesses and schools were closed and the economy and society were at a standstill. All they asked from the Government was to provide leadership. They wanted the Government to give the message as to what they were expected to do, and they would follow that. They wanted to be told what the plan for the way out might be and they would follow that. However, in return for the efforts they have made, they have got shambles after shambles and confusion about the direction we are taking.

The small businesses that make up the backbone of our economy by employing people in local communities want direction and support. The Government is simply not giving them enough support. In another mixed message, the Government has given support to some SMEs and excluded people aged over 66 who have got no support, which is a disgrace because they have also made a contribution to the economy. They also have costs and concerns. They have plans and ambitions for their businesses which have now been dented and put off course altogether with little acknowledgement from the Government. There were mixed messages about schools being closed. Exporters are in difficulty because of the new Brexit rules and regulations on top of the pandemic. It is now extremely difficult to keep the people on course with us.

This legislation needs to be adopted by the House because we need some form of quarantine. However, it sends out a mixed message of a law being passed which cannot be enforced or implemented at the level people believe it should be. Last year when people were returning from Cheltenham and Italy, the public were demanding the Government take action to stop the return to Ireland of people who did not necessarily need to come back or people who were travelling and should not have been travelling. Earlier speakers referred to essential and non-essential travel. The legislation gives a mixed message and it will lead to confusion.

I will support the Bill, but in some way the Government needs to interpret the Bill and put its best foot forward in communicating the message in a way that is clearly understood and which the Cabinet can follow and will not be divided on. The discussion of what each party thinks of each other and the leaders of each of those parties should be set aside with a view to finding a common platform to move forward because it is damaging the messaging system. The public are asking for a clear message and no one can give it to them.

At a meeting last night, I asked the Minister about the vaccine. To exclude carers from the cohort of essential workers is simply wrong. I take that as an example. I am not lobbying to get somebody prioritised over somebody else. I am simply lobbying the Government to recognise that carers are essential workers and need to be vaccinated now. The care they are giving at home is an essential job. It is unsatisfactory and downright wrong that they would not be recognised and would not be getting the vaccine.

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