Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Taoiseach for the welcome but not the answer. I asked him specifically about the Covid certificates and whether he had evidence they have lessened the impact or reduced the cases. Clearly, they have not and he has no evidence. If he had, he would produce it. The Taoiseach referenced the debate here. There was no prelegislative scrutiny of any of the legislation that went through, including the Bill which will be debated here this evening. Many of his backbenchers and all his three parties were bemoaning the fact we were extending it last July and here we are extending it again to next July.

We want to see an end date. The public want to see one. It is war weary and fatigued and business just cannot survived. The Taoiseach knows that and he met the arts industry last week and I am glad he did so, because it has been especially badly treated. It is the ordinary man in the van, with his guitar and ag seinm cúpla amhrán agus rudaí mar sin. Our culture and heritage is being hammered. The Taoiseach does not have any evidence and he has not produced it, nor has he briefed Opposition leaders for 13 months. He has not had a meeting. We all backed him, at first, to get rid of the imminent matter, of course we did.

However, we saw through the figures and the lack of investment, in spite of all the money in extra ICU beds and everything else - it is one holy mess - not to mention the booster and the carry on now. I ask the Taoiseach to show me the evidence that vaccination certificates work, which discriminate against people. I have countless cases of people in awful trauma and anguish who cannot get a vaccine for medical reasons. Others chose not to and they are being discriminated against left, right and centre.

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