Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

That was an interesting contribution to follow because, in fairness, it was an honest defence of the Government's position. I do not agree with it and I will explain why. This is unjust. It is absolutely unjust and unfair to discriminate against people on the basis of their vaccination status. It is doubly unjust to do so at a time when almost half of the adult population has not had the opportunity to be fully vaccinated if they want to be. It is triply unjust to force hospitality workers who are not vaccinated to go to work in conditions that are dangerous. To say this is not unjust takes meaning out of the term unjust. It is the definition of unjust. The measures are deeply divisive. Unfortunately, they will undermine the vaccination effort, which is extremely important as it is the only way out of the nightmare situation we are in. This is the effect they are having. They are dividing society.

The reason the Government is doing what it is doing in this extremely rushed way with very important legislation is that it wants to open indoor hospitality. It is willing to do all of this. It is willing to divide society so we can open indoor hospitality six, seven or eight weeks earlier than would otherwise happen. This sums up the middle road about which Deputy McAuliffe spoke. That middle road has been a disaster. In November, the middle road was bowing to the pressure of the lobbyists to open hospitality in December and cause the deaths of more than 1,000 people in January and more than 1,000 people in February. The idea Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party can still present themselves as a reasonable middle-of-the-road government after making such a decision to put private profit before the lives of people is quite astounding.

The same basic decision is being made now. It will not have the same level of disastrous consequences because of the level of vaccination we have in our society but the discrimination will be deeply divisive in our society. It will place in danger the health of hospitality workers. It will cause long Covid for a number of young people and it will result in some extra deaths. The Minister and his middle-of-the-road position may be back here in two months' time having to turn back things and going for a lockdown, which would be an absolute disaster and a nightmare for ordinary people.

I want to refer to the comments of the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Holohan, on encouraging those aged under 18 not to go to indoors hospitality. Deputy Mattie McGrath heard that and said he has a death wish for the hospitality industry. Deputy McGrath thinks unvaccinated people and teenagers, who are just as liable to get Covid and be affected by Covid and spread Covid, should be encouraged to go to indoor congregated settings where people are not wearing masks. Does he have a death wish for the population? The last time Dr. Holohan told people not to go into hospitality was in December. Despite the Government's recommendation he advised people not to go into hospitality. He was right at that time. I do not blame people for not taking that advice because the Government's position was that everything was open and that people should go off and enjoy a so-called meaningful Christmas. If everybody had taken Dr. Holohan's advice we would have saved a lot of lives. What I take from Dr. Holohan's comments is not that he has a death wish for the hospitality industry but that it is a real mistake of the Government to do what it is doing. It is a particular mistake to be doing it without legislation on ventilation. It is a real mistake to be doing it while including unvaccinated people aged under 18, as if it makes a difference, as well, of course, as the whole notion of discrimination which we completely oppose.

There is an alternative. There is a very clear alternative staring us in the face, which is to wait for the reopening of indoor hospitality to protect the reopening that has happened so far and to protect lives and then make sure we protect incomes. Why are people asking to open? It is because they are in a crisis.

The Government needs to say that it will protect the supports for small businesses that need them and which cannot open as a result of the Government measures that are necessary for public health. It must say that this section of the economy cannot open at this point in time and, therefore, the PUP will not be cut. That is the very simple choice we can make to protect lives and health, avoid discrimination and protect people's income. It is the choice that should be made tonight but, unfortunately, it looks like the Government will push through and make the very opposite choice.

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