Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank our staff for putting together this motion. It is a very thoughtful motion and one that is led by the will of the people in this country. I have yet to receive an email or other form communication from anybody in which there is any kind of agreement on what the Government is trying to do. What it is doing is a shambolic mess and that could be seen yesterday at various press conferences. Members of the Government do not have a clue about what they are putting forward, unfortunately, and that will again be to the detriment of people who will have to implement these unworkable rules or who will be the victims of them. Today, I think especially of our young people who will suffer most because of the legislation the Government is putting through. The purpose of our motion is to try to set about making a fair society.

There is some rumour about the legislation coming through that even vaccinated people who are allowed into a bar will not be allowed go to the counter. If that is the case, why are we allowing people, who may not be vaccinated at all, go to shop counters? Why discriminate against restaurants and pubs by not allowing people to place their orders at the counter and simply go back to their seats? I do not know what side of the bed some of these Ministers get out of in the morning, but it is certainly not the same side as most other people.

The hospitality sector is worth anything up to €5 billion to €7.5 billion to the economy, and some 260,000 jobs are at risk. Many of the restaurant owners and publicans I have spoken to are absolutely flabbergasted as to why they were singled out by this Government as the cause of the spread of coronavirus. That is exactly what happened, even though most of their establishments have been closed for more than 400 days. These people were not the cause of coronavirus spreading. This is an attack on, and violation of, our people's human rights.

Many publicans have spoken to me about this issue. People may call this a conflict of interest, but I have two brothers who own pubs - one in Bandon and one in Bantry - in west Cork. Both pubs have been closed for almost 400 days because they do not have outside facilities. My brothers and other publicans cannot understand how they or their staff can stand at the door to police every man, woman and child that comes into their premises. It is insane, totally unworkable and completely unfair. Members of the Government are rushing through legislation in an absolute panic to get it across the line because they got such a whacking in their constituencies. Their eyes were opened for them but they are now in a situation where they are putting forward very bad legislation.

To return to the owners of businesses, be they restaurants or pubs, they or their staff will have to stand at the door at all times asking people if they have certificates. The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Deputy Catherine Martin, said yesterday that people will get the certificates from their doctors but those doctors have said there is absolutely no way this will happen. What the hell is wrong with the Government? It is making it up as it goes along and, as already stated, putting through rushed legislation.

The Rural Independent Group has tabled a very clear motion that will give an ideal opportunity to members of the Opposition, who have spent the past two weeks shouting and roaring, along with Deputies and Senators from the main political parties, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, about pubs and restaurants that should have been allowed to open their doors and run their businesses in a very safe manner. Every one of those business owners wanted to open in a very safe manner and had made sure that there was social distancing and sanitation and that masks were used. That individual wanted to run with all of this but, unfortunately, they were not given the opportunity.

Members of this Government failed to speak to the people to whom I refer. They spoke to them after the crisis began, which is typical. They started talking to them when the horse had bolted but they would not speak to them in the past few months when they had plenty of time to talk to them in order to discover what they were going to put in place in their businesses to make sure they could open their doors. Unfortunately, the Government did not do that. We are left in a situation where 2 million people have been vaccinated and 3 million have not. As Deputy Danny Healy-Rae said last week, people will be left outside the door like dogs. Long ago, dogs were left outside the door but now the dogs will be inside and people will be outside.

Our motion is very clear. There is no mincing of words. We will be facing the following situation with the legislation. Somebody will go into a bar for a few drinks at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. The young person serving behind the counter may want to get vaccinated - we will not say whether he or she does or not - but cannot because there is no vaccine available. He or she will work right up to 11 p.m. If his or her boss gives him or her a half hour off because he or she has worked hard and if he or she is caught inside that same establishment, he or she will be fined and so will the owner. However, that young person can still work all night serving drink to the same people. It is insane. The writers of "Killinaskully" could not come up with an act like that. You would not get away with it.

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