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

First, I think it is a good thing that public representatives would be proactive and would meet with the Chief Medical Officer and responsibly work out what measures would be helpful in terms of reducing the numbers in Donegal. From what I could glean, that was the genuine motivation behind that meeting during a bank holiday weekend. From my perspective, it was a positive thing to do. I believe there should be follow through. I will check whether representatives of the Chief Medical Officer can make themselves available to local radio. There may have been reasons beyond their control that they could not participate in the Monday show. I will follow that up.

We should support the Garda. I have had quite a number of discussions with the Garda and one would be taken aback by what they say, for example, about the sophistication of quite a number of síbíns that were found around the country, in blatant violation of the regulations and undermining legitimate traders in the hospitality sector who had closed in accordance with the regulations. They were quite sophisticated operations and it is important that there is a clampdown on gross violations of that kind. There should be zero toleration of that kind of blatant disregard for the regulations that are passed under the aegis of this House.

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