Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I apologise for being late. I was dealing with another issue with the Transport Infrastructure Ireland announcement I saw this morning. I welcome the Minister and concur with the comments made on paternity. It is something I did not get when any of my kids were born but I welcome that for local representatives. It is going before the joint Oireachtas committee. That is the right place for it to go and I hope we get cross-party agreement on it.

I concur with Senator Casey on the EWSS. It is an issue we did not get to discuss on the Finance Bill, despite there being amendments. We have to bring all sectors of society and business with us so we need to find a way to address that anomaly.

On the NPHET letter, which I have not seen, I am disappointed that, even after what went on in the last week, NPHET would leak that advise. It has put businesses under extreme pressure today as to whether they are going to buy in goods for the Christmas period. I have spoken to people in cash and carry businesses. It is not acceptable. I do not agree with the 5 p.m. suggestion. We need to make a compromise and to enforce the rules that are already there about the Covid certificate. That is not happening 100% across our society. We have to reinforce that, look at a 9 p.m. compromise, keep businesses open and enforce the rules.