Joe O'Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response. I join with him in acknowledging the success and sacrifice made by people to achieve success over the coronavirus, which is admirable. Among that cohort of people engaged in achieving that success are the people who do the shooting in question and the country sports that I have set out.

Originally I made the point that if level 5 were to pertain at the time, then it is a very different context. I welcome the fact that the Minister of State will keep the situation under review. I appeal to him to look at the fact that we will have an overabundance of pheasants so subsequently there will be balance issues, bird welfare issues and habitat issues. If we do not have an intervention in February then I ask him to consider the facts that the breeding season is much later and around 50,000 citizens have had their activities curtailed but acquiesced very patriotically. I appeal to the Minister of State to keep the matter under review and I hope that he will be able to grant an extension at the time.