Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I endorse all that has been said by the Minister of State and Senator Clifford-Lee. It is because of this virus the Government has to bring in restrictions. I take great heart from the research made available yesterday which states that following on from what has been articulated in terms of the difficulties and challenges that this new variant is causing, 80% of people have altered their behaviour, changed their plans and propose to reduce the number of people they will meet over the Christmas period.

The people of Ireland can and will adjust when necessary. Unfortunately, restrictions are necessary to deal with the 20% who, perhaps, do not adjust for whatever reason. We have to take cognisance of the 80%. We also have to take cognisance of the 95% of our population who have been vaccinated. We are in a different situation this Christmas than we were in last Christmas. It is a meitheal effort, led by Government. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, has done a phenomenal job in terms of protecting disability services and ensuring that respite and day care facilities have been able to open. It has been extraordinarily difficult. In terms of the Department of Health, the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, particularly deserves enormous credit, as does the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, for what she has done in terms of older people and what she has been able to achieve during these very difficult times.

Politics is not an easy business. Nobody gets into politics because they believe it will be an easy business. They do it because they believe that by getting stuck in and working hard they will make a real difference to the lives of ordinary, decent people who look up to politicians to represent and articulate for them. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, hold portfolios in the Department of Health, which is a difficult area, but they have been able to carve out benefits and some sort of normality and existence for the most vulnerable people in our society. They deserve great credit for that.