Eugene Murphy (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I usually do not disagree with Senator Buttimer but I do not agree with that point. My understanding of such secondments is that Ministers do not sign off on them. I thought the Minister did quite well in this morning's two interviews in the media that I heard. We will differ on the matter and I am sure the Minister will clarify it further. Dr. Holohan has made a major contribution over a period, which we all acknowledge. He took much abuse as well.

It is really great to see the Minister here again. Like others, I commend him on always coming here to deal with the matter head-on. It is great to see the senior Minister coming before us. I know I often say "well done" on the work that has been done and the Minister is always anxious to say that people on the front line, including doctors, nurses, porters and everybody else, have helped out in society to deal with Covid-19. I acknowledge that today.

It strikes me that a number of young people have not taken the booster. When this is said to them, they say they will not take it. I agree with others who have said we must think about how to target such people and incentivise them to take the booster. Even in some of my family circle, people have said they will not take the booster even when we say that Covid-19 is still around and ask would it not be a wise course of action. We need to target such people again.

I wear a mask in any crowded area and I will continue to do that. Some people have come up to me and told me I could stop wearing a mask. It is a question of speaking with people. Every time I hear the Minister speak he mentions masks and the booster vaccine. Having watched this over the past couple of days, it seems 50% or 60% of people are wearing masks. Some people will never do it, even if it had a legal basis. We must pump out the message continuously and this will lead to more people wearing a mask.

Senator Conway mentioned how people have got very sick and they have become sick with Covid-19 recently. How many of those people would have survived if they had not received a vaccination? Many more people would be deceased at this point if it had not been administered. It is regrettable that between 5,000 and 6,000 people have lost their lives but it is true to say that in a European or world context, we have done very well in fighting this pandemic.

Caution is important and we must keep putting out that message. I agree with the Minister that we must allow society get back to functioning again. The economy, families and communities have suffered terribly. People's well-being also suffered because sport was affected and the usual way we live our lives was completely disrupted. It was a shock to us all and a shock to the world. We must use the phrase "live with Covid" time and again. I only speak as a layperson but I believe we will have to deal with Covid-19 for a long time to come. It is important we are able to manage it and be aware of what is happening. We must be able to watch out for any difficulties that arise.

All in all, the Government has done a good job and the Minister has given good leadership. Again, I say "well done" to all the people on the front lines, including the carers who have done much good work. There are also people in the community, such as postal workers and others who did much work to help people during the period of Covid-19. I say "well done" to the Minister but we must be cautious and careful as we move along.