Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

We will see. The assistant professor in Trinity said:

The overarching finding of this report is a significant lack of transparency in how and why important decisions were made during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.

Transparency and clarity are key aspects of public health governance and one of our recommendations of this report is the need for far more. [That is, far more transparency.] If we don’t have clear lines of decision-making and accountability, and a clear sense of the power resting with the government, then the idea that we can have even notional democratic oversight for ... [those] powers seems very remote. ... [That] is undoubtedly a cause for concern.

It is because that construct is being rolled over that I must, in conscience, oppose this. I do not oppose public health doctors giving public health advice. I oppose the abdication of parliamentary accountability in a democracy to public health doctors. I believe it is wrong, dangerous and will end in a crisis because Covid-19 shows no signs of ending and nobody is predicting it will end. On that basis, I oppose the Bill.

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