At a time when it seems there are many internal tensions within the Government, with Fianna Fáil dealing with its own internal problems, Fine Gael dithering, to put it mildly, over the nomination of our Commissioner role, and the Tánaiste playing a dangerous political game within the Government, the reality for the rest of us outside of Cabinet is that Covid-19 rates continue to grow steadily. There seems to be a mindset within the Government that a second lockdown is inevitable. Indeed, the Minister for Health said as much last week. Increasingly, there is a sense among the public that they are forgoing so many different aspects of normal life while the business community is paying an enormous price, but the other key partner in all of this, the Government, is not playing its part.

It is not playing its part in three key ways: the need to honour its commitment to ensure we have an effective testing and tracing system in place; to ensure we have proper controls at our airports and ports; and to ensure that open information and data are made available, and that they would drive the policy in this area. None of those things is happening. As for testing and tracing, from the beginning we have been told this must be about test, test, test, and we described our own early policy of being one of test, trace and isolate, but we are not doing that. For so long we were playing catch-up while the numbers were growing earlier in the year. Finally, when the numbers, thankfully, started to drop, we were told the capacity was there. We are told the capacity is for 100,000 tests a week. I do not believe that. It has never been achieved or nearly achieved. What is happening in that area? We heard on the radio this morning that staff are being taken away from audiology and other key services to prop up the testing and tracing system. When are we going to have an effective testing and tracing system?

When are we going to have proper controls for international travel? We have been promised this form, which is supposed to be online. Up to now, there has been little more than forms being handed out, and the follow-up has been hopeless. When are we going to have a proper system in place at our ports and airports?

Third, when is the Government going to ensure that it is open about the data and information? We have to keep the public with us. Actions being taken at the moment are simply not understandable because they are not backed up by any data or evidence.

When is the Government going to address these three areas and when is it going to play its part in responding to the virus?

I assure the Deputy that the Government is working collectively, and in my mind coherently, not just in managing the Covid crisis but in every aspect of the economic crisis that comes with it and across every brief. The Deputy is correct that Covid is first and foremost, because it is the essential crisis we have to manage. I am confident that the HSE is managing and has the capability in the testing and tracing regime we need for this country. That capability needs some flexibility within it to increase to 100,000 tests per week and flexibility so that if the testing needs to be ramped up for a particular outbreak, that can be done. Last week, 58,000 tests were carried out, many of which systematically targeted the key areas where we have to protect the most vulnerable, such as nursing homes, which are a key source of the problems, or the likes of meat plants, where the key element is the focus of that testing. There are 200 contact tracing staff in place and the turnaround time, as I understand it, from referral to the giving of the test result, has fallen from three days to 2.2 days. We need to push that further and we cannot rest on our laurels, but I believe that the HSE is managing, and can manage and deliver, the testing and tracing regime we need.

With regard to aviation and airports, it is a difficult balancing act between protecting lives and protecting livelihoods. Aviation and international travel are part of protecting livelihoods in this country because, as a small, open island economy, we need connectivity to other countries. To date, judging from the health data, the level of the virus coming in from international travel is very low, but we have to maintain vigilance and not necessarily just open back up, with everybody travelling again. There was valid advice from the health system to try to minimise travel and contact, but the Government now has to start preparing for the next six, nine or 18 months - a medium-term approach - where, in the absence of a vaccine, we have to manage the virus.

Within that, we will have to manage international travel. The Government will present a new medium-term Covid plan on 14 September that will include a planned approach allowing for connectivity. At a meeting yesterday with my departmental officials who are working with the Department of Health and the Department of the Taoiseach, I asked them to look, as we have said we would, at international experience, such as where other countries require testing arrangements for air travel that may reduce the risk of increased air travel and that may allow us, in certain instances, to waive the requirement for a 14-day restriction on movement when someone comes here. We have set up - my Department was helpful in this regard - the electronic register and contact tracing system, which will be an important part of that.

On the Deputy's third point, I absolutely accept the need for transparency and openness in respect of all the figures. At the same time, we have to be careful that if we had complete transparency, there could be stigmatisation of certain communities where the virus might exist. We have to avoid that while still providing transparency.

With all due respect, these lines are being trotted out by everybody in Government, and they do not stand up to any kind of scrutiny. The Minister is jumping ahead and talking about a medium-term plan. We have a real-time, now problem in respect of the figures rising all the time. The response from the Government has been wholly inadequate in respect of testing and tracing. The Minister talked about last week. A total of 57% of what we are told is the capacity was used last week, and that was the highest percentage that has ever been used. Where is this 100%? We have heard reports about staff being redeployed from other areas where they are needed. That is not an adequate response. The Government needs to start taking this issue seriously again. The early response was fine but it took its eye off the ball. There are a whole lot of gaps in our response. Nobody knows what the strategy is now in respect of Covid. We are supposed to be testing, tracing and isolating, but that is not happening at the level required. Will the Minister give any kind of commitment that this issue is going to be taken hold of by the Government and that we are going to see action in those three areas rather than vague promises?

This is the most important thing the Government has to do. This medium-term plan, which as I said will be within the next two weeks-----

Now. The Government needs to take charge now.

Yes, but it will take us two weeks.

Where is the Government now?

The managing and taking charge now is to make sure that the medium-term plan is fit for purpose. It is as important, if not more important to my mind, as the budget facing us because how we manage this will allow a return to some normality of life as we manage life with Covid, and try to minimise and suppress it-----

That is more promises.

No, it is giving-----

Please allow the Minister to respond.

I think there is a role for the Oireachtas. We do it with the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response and other Members. First and foremost, we heed the best advice we have, which is coming from our health services and others, about how we manage this. We have a balancing act to do with regard to how we get economic recovery at the same time. The Government is focused on that more than anything else and will present that plan, which will hopefully give us the mechanism to restore livelihoods and protect lives.