During Leaders’ Questions yesterday, the Taoiseach indicated that restaurants would get proper notice of when and, most importantly, how they can reopen following the expected ending of level 5. Today, Micheál Lehane said it is likely to be 7 December when gastropubs and restaurants will open. The Irish Independent has run a story that pubs can serve indoors but only if they have a chef on site. The Tánaiste has gone on a solo run saying gyms, barbers and shops will open first and gastropubs and restaurants will potentially open after that. This is creating major anxiety in the city centre constituency I represent. I am not asking the Taoiseach to give me clarity today on an exact date. Will he tell me what constitutes proper notice, as referred to by him yesterday? Is it a seven-day or five-day period? What will constitute proper notice for restaurants and gastropubs in order that they may open at some point following the cessation of level 5?

I am not responsible for the various media commentary and reports. I always admire the capacity of good hard-working journalists to secure information from various sources, which continues apace. I stated at the commencement of level 5 that the landing zone for the Government was in and around level 3, and I have been saying that consistently. If the Deputy looks at what is allowed for at level 3, he will get a fair idea of what would be permissible if we keep the numbers down and low this week. The last two days have been good but it does not take rocket science to work out some of the main areas that would be permissible under a level 3 scenario. I indicated yesterday, in answer to a question from Deputy Richard O'Donoghue who spoke about the need for preparation, that I believe preparation is important and that adequate notice will be given to the various sectors that require that notice.

My question concerns reports on staff who have been let go from tracking and tracing during the Covid-19 crisis and are being replaced by people on CPL contracts. I asked the Minister a question, which was passed to the HSE, on the numbers of those redeployed from other services who come from speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and the psychologist professions. I asked this because there are tens of thousands of parents who are anxiously waiting for those services for their children. They include the parents of Shay, an eight-year-old boy from Walkinstown who has Down’s syndrome and has no speech and language, occupational therapy, physiotherapy or psychology services. In this context, the HSE tells me that. as of 18 September, 16 speech and language therapists and eight occupational therapists were redeployed to tracking and tracing. Given that those waiting lists for desperately needed services are expanding exponentially, can the Taoiseach guarantee that no speech and language, occupational therapist, child psychologist or other desperately needed personnel is or will be redeployed to tracking and tracing?

That is the objective. It is my view that there should be a separate dedicated workforce for swabbing and contact tracing. That is what the HSE has been undertaking. That means redeployment back to the front line and to key services such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech and language therapy and other services. Those personnel are best deployed in those scenarios to look after people such as the young boy the Deputy mentioned. That is what we are going to do and very significant progress had been made on that. In my view, we should not have therapists doing the contact tracing work. There may be some incidents where someone could be in a managerial role-----

I asked about the guarantee and the 18 speech and language therapists.

I have said what our aim and objective is. There are people who will build up experience over the first and second phase. We do not want to throw all of the experience out immediately. Some people who know how to operate and manage the system will, I imagine and surmise, be required but our objective is to have therapists back providing therapy services.

As a new Deputy in the 33rd Dáil, I would like to be associated with comments regarding two families who were in mourning over missed scans today. I also disassociate myself from some of the political grandstanding that has taken place in the last few minutes.

The Deputy is a Government supporter, for God's sake.

Amendments to the Brexit omnibus Bill are set to introduce a new threshold of €75 to all non-EU passengers who avail of the VAT retail export scheme, enabling travellers outside of the EU to benefit from VAT relief from goods purchased in the State and brought outside the EU. This proposal will in effect move the threshold from a de facto minimis amount of 1 cent to €75. In County Waterford bus tours and cruise visitors avail of this VAT rebate when purchasing Waterford Crystal, woollen crafts and traditional gifts and mementos. This tax change will affect a significant number of retail businesses and geographic areas. For Waterford Crystal, it will remove nearly 60% of all US customer sales and will have a similar effect across the south and west coasts. This is being done to try to solve a problem with UK visitors. I ask the Taoiseach to look at this measure to see if some other form of enforcement can get us over this problem?

To be fair, the threshold was set much higher, at €175, and the Minister for Finance brought in amendments to bring it down to €75. There will be a need for a threshold from an administrative perspective. This is informed by Revenue and its assessment of the volume, data and so on. I have no doubt the Minister will keep this under review but he has brought the threshold down significantly from where it was in the recent amendment.

The people of Ireland have suffered greatly with Covid-19. They have been magnificent. Self-employed and ordinary people need guidance. The Taoiseach promised the leaders two and a half weeks ago at a meeting that he would have a further meeting with us to give notice to people of how they could recommence their business. The people will, in the spirit of Charles J. Kickham, the people of Mullinahone and T.J. McInerney, rise up because they are fed up with this and with being dangled on a string.

The Taoiseach never stood behind a counter or worked in a shop and so does not understand the damage, trauma and stress affecting families. Would he please at least respect them by giving them notice of what they can and cannot do in the coming weeks? They are on their knees. The banks and Revenue Commissioners are knocking at their doors and the Taoiseach is giving them no guidance. He is disrespecting the other parties in this House by not having the meetings he promised with Dr. Holohan and others to get the science and data, which he has not been given. He has not been given any science or data; he is operating on a wing and a prayer and he will not even allow the people to say prayers.

The only person acting on a wing and a prayer is the Deputy. He has been acting on a wing and a prayer for a long time, as far as I can see.

How dare the Taoiseach?

We have informed the Deputy.

The Taoiseach has not.

He has met NPHET but he has consistently been in the denial camp regarding the deadly impact of Covid-19 on people's lives and health.

The Taoiseach is denying it.

It has a terrible impact on people's lives and health, and the Deputy should accept that. That said, we will provide guidance. Throughout every level, we have provided guidance. I am aware of the severity of the virus in terms of the impact-----

Show me the science and statistics-----

-----it has had on people's incomes and livelihoods. Covid-19 has been a terrible virus that has upended societies across the world. Given its low level of incidence, Ireland is at least in a much better position relative to its European partners and other EU member states. That is never said by the Deputy.

KPMG attempted overnight to grab stock from Debenhams stores in Limerick and Tralee. Just after 1 a.m., security hired by KPMG arrived at the scene in Limerick and cut the chains securing the gate to the loading bay. An unmarked truck with a Dublin registration arrived at around 4 a.m. but the workers had gathered and prevented the removal of the stock from the store. The truck continued to Tralee and those on board tried, at around 7 a.m., to grab stock from the former Debenhams store there. The workers in Tralee stopped them again. I am aware that the Taoiseach met representatives of the Mandate trade union last week and the shop stewards. He said he would get back to them early this week. It is urgent that he do so. I do not believe he has got back to them yet in respect of the mediation process he was talking about. I ask him to get back to them. When will he do so?

The Deputy is correct in that I met representatives from Mandate and the shop stewards last week. I did say that we were going to activate a third-party intervention. We want the basis of that third-party intervention to be effective and, hopefully, achieve a resolution. I appeal to all parties concerned to give space to facilitate the intervention of a third party that might - I am not saying it will - effect a resolution to this long-running strike and situation for the women concerned.