Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Harkin and all other Deputies who contributed to the debate. It has been a worthwhile, thoughtful, reflective and important debate in regard to the exceptional times we are in and the legislation and public health measures and powers that have been put in place to respond to the pandemic. I do not have a closing speech. I propose instead to try to capture the various comments, questions and themes raised by colleagues across the House. I will run through them as best I can, but inevitably there will be some that I will miss so I apologise in advance for that.

I will start by reiterating that nobody wants this Bill. I do not want it. I do not want anybody to have to need these powers, even temporarily. They do not sit easily with me, nor should they. I do not believe they would sit easily with anybody.

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