The second item before us is the proposal for dealing with tomorrow’s business. Is the proposal for dealing with Wednesday’s business agreed to?

It is not agreed.

I call Deputy McDonald.

The situation is extraordinary. The Opposition has sought to assist Government by waiving critical things like pre-legislative scrutiny. It has been given a fair wind. At times, it has not played that hand very well in our view but the reality is that on Friday, restrictions were imposed right across the city and county of Dublin which have had very serious effects. Dublin is not alone in that. We had Kildare, Laois and Offaly and we will have other places facing similar circumstances. The idea that the Government would run from scrutiny is absolutely extraordinary. It is not a case, with the greatest respect to him, of the Taoiseach coming to the House and saying he has no objection to a debate. The facts are that those debates have not happened and key witnesses now will not appear before the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response. It is extraordinary, and all the more so given the fact that the Taoiseach says he wants to bring public opinion with him. If there is no scrutiny or oversight he will alienate public opinion. That is the reality.

The Taoiseach is threatening to unravel the sense of social solidarity that did exist and that underpins the compliance and cohesion we need to deal with Covid-19 because if people do not understand the logic and the rationale behind measures they will lose faith in the public health effort. The Taoiseach doubled down on that mistake by then cutting into the economic supports for people precisely at the time they need them most.

In terms of co-operation with the Opposition, I will register again my frustration and anger at the precisely opposite move by the Government to relegate a number of the party groups in here in terms of the speaking order and the accountability of the Taoiseach's Government on key issues. Again last week, repeatedly, we had the insult of Ministers gone from the Chamber before many of the party groups here had a chance to-----

The Deputy made that point.

I know, and I will keep making it because it is an insult and it seriously undermines accountability in that Ministers are not actually here to be held account by all of the party groups. It is a studied insult and contempt.

I agree with what has been said. I am very disappointed in the Taoiseach because he and his Minister dropped the ball spectacularly in terms of the messaging. We are trying to rebuild that. We have been supportive of everything the Taoiseach, and the interim Government, has done but it is unbelievable that the Taoiseach will not allow a debate. We cannot scrutinise. We waived pre-legislative scrutiny and then do not get a chance to debate properly in here. We now see this literally hiding from the Committee on Covid-19 Response. It is a charade and the people know that. We need joined-up thinking, logical decisions and proper explanations so that we can explain to our public what is going on. We do not know ourselves so how can we expect the people to have faith in it? The Taoiseach is letting the side down badly.

Deputy McDonald said this is an extraordinary situation. It is not an extraordinary situation. There will be a full day's business tomorrow which was agreed by the Business Committee involving a Private Members' Bill, the Labour Party Bill on sick leave and parental leave, which is a very important Bill and on which Government will engage constructively. There is Leaders' Questions. I am in here every week on Leaders' Questions taking questions from parties on all sides of the House. We have Question Time to the Taoiseach after that. We have Topical Issues. We have statements on transport. We have a Defence (Amendment) Bill, the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing) (Amendment) Bill, a voting block and the House finishes tomorrow at 10.15 p.m. I am unsure of what the Members are against but that is what they are now voting against.

I think we made it very clear.

I make the point also that all of the Members opposite supported the restrictions last Friday night. I know Sinn Féin was opposing it on Thursday night and opposing publicly the issues pertaining to hospitality.

No.

I welcome the fact that on Friday that had changed and that it supported wholeheartedly the public health measures that were introduced to which the restrictions give effect but let us not overstate this either. I have no difficulty with scrutinising anything. I understand politics, too, when it is being played and there is no better person to play it than Deputy McDonald. She excels at playing politics with situations and platforming-----

The Taoiseach is being disingenuous when he will not provide debate. He is blustering now.

I have noticed that every Tuesday here, notwithstanding what is agreed at the Business Committee, a vote is called. If there is not one vote, there are two votes.

Nothing was agreed in the past two weeks.

It is going on all of the time.

It is not agreed because we had sought a debate on the Taoiseach's plan but he still has not given it.

Every excuse will be used to politically platform-----

The Taoiseach destroyed the Business Committee.

-----cause a vote, get up and posture and so on. I did say that I was open to a debate on the plan.

Let us have it then.

I have no issue at all about that but, having said that, it was not enough for Deputies 15 minutes ago and a vote was called again. Notwithstanding that I said there should be a meeting of the Business Committee to facilitate working out the schedule, people proceeded to have the vote and not accept that as a demonstration of good faith. I have no issue at all with debating the plan. I want to debate the plan subject to schedule. I am in Brussels on Thursday and Friday for the European Council meeting but I am available to lead a debate on the plan published by Government which, to be fair, was broadly welcomed by many Members of the House. I have no issue at all with debating the plan. Many hours were spent, up to 9 o'clock or 10 o'clock on Friday night briefing Opposition Members from all parties who represented Dublin on the restrictions; likewise, with the mayors of the Dublin councils and so on. That happened also on Friday night. That took up a lot of work on behalf of the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, and others as well, which should be acknowledged. That kind of engagement will continue. I have no issue with that. We briefed the party leaders two to three weeks ago-----

-----with the CMO and the HSE chief executive officer on testing and everything else. That happened and it was far less heated-----

We did not see an answer to that.

-----than it tends to be in the public arena.

The Ceann Comhairle always says that many members of the public watch Oireachtas TV and I agree with him, but votes on motions will be taken here tomorrow evening and only a selected few Members from each group can vote. It is very important that when the votes are taking place tomorrow the public is aware that not everybody can vote for the simple reason that they are taking place in this Chamber. If they were taking place in the Convention Centre Dublin all of us would be able to vote. Many people are engaging with the Oireachtas in terms of the reasons they do or do not vote so it is important that they know that when the votes on the motions are taking place tomorrow certain Members will be unable to vote. There are nine Members in our Regional Group and only three of us can vote so every week we would take the three. It is important that the public is fully aware of that. It is not because we do not want to be present for the vote but rather it is because of the Covid-19 restrictions in Leinster House. On that, is there any chance the Ceann Comhairle can give us an update on that situation and what will happen as we go forward?

On the voting issue tomorrow, we can ask the Oireachtas Communications Unit to make it clear what is happening because what has been decided at the Business Committee is that votes on motions will take place here with reduced attendance but votes on legislation would take place, for the time being, in the Convention Centre Dublin where all Members would be able to attend thereby ensuring that there is no undue risk of legal challenge to the vote on legislation. We will ask the Communications Unit to make that very clear. Can I take it that the business for tomorrow is agreed to?

No.

It is not agreed.

Tá gnó Dé Céadaoin aontaithe.

Is the proposal for dealing with Thursday's business agreed to?