Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We all want to see hospitality reopen safely and sustainably, but the Government is making a proposal that will allow some people in and keep others out. I have a daughter who works in a café. She tells me that people are asking now why they cannot sit down inside instead of going out in the rain. There is already that hassle with people, so a system that allows half of the family to come in but keeps the other half outside will be unworkable.

Everyone, and certainly those in the industry, recognises that this legislation will be very difficult to implement. Understanding the system will be difficult and sanctions will be in place for people who produce invalid papers or whatever there will be. Who will police this? We do not know how this is going to be done.

The legislation has been rushed and is badly done. The Tánaiste spoke about the consultation that happened, but my understanding is that there was very little consultation, except with the vintners and the restaurateurs. Everyone else was left outside the door, including workers' representatives. That was the wrong way to do this.

We need to find a better system, one that works and into which everyone can buy. The system before us does not work and people will not buy into it. The Department needs to go back to the drawing board. Pushing it through the Dáil will be very unfair and put everyone in a poor position.

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