On 22 October last, I submitted my first freedom of information, FOI, request to the Department of the Taoiseach on Covid-19 and a zero Covid-19 strategy. I wrote to the Taoiseach's Department, the HSE and the Department of Foreign Affairs seeking all records of correspondence between them and their relevant counterparts in Northern Ireland, Britain or both in respect of: the co-ordination of a response to the Covid-19 pandemic; the adoption of an aligned Covid-19 strategy; and specifically, the adoption of an aligned zero Covid-19 strategy. Three months have passed and it was only yesterday that the Taoiseach announced a whole-of-island approach. However, little evidence of arrangements with either Administration has been properly provided by the Government.

The replies to my FOI requests were delayed but some were finally made available in recent weeks. Shockingly, the existence of documents relating to a zero Covid-19 strategy was not evident in any of the responses I received. The possibility of a zero Covid-19 strategy was not discussed at all up until the dates included in my FOI requests. I am being facetious here because I was not shocked at all. The Government has been spinning one thing in the media about such a strategy being too difficult or not manageable. The reality is, however, that the Government has not even discussed the possibility of adopting a strategy of this nature.

The Department of the Taoiseach finally replied to my requests on 14 January, almost two months late. I had to appeal the decision of the Department because it did not comply with requirements set out in the Office of the Information Commissioner’s recommendations. Specifically, I was informed:

- There is no detail provided in the decision makers letter as to the extent of the searches that were conducted. I therefore am unable to properly consider whether the decision maker has conducted adequate searches.

- The decision merely states the subject of the particular exemption being relied upon. The decision maker has not outlined the particular adverse effect that they believe may arise or details of the specific factors considered, having regard to the specific contents of the relevant records.

- No schedule of records has been provided. Therefore, in relation to the documents retrieved the response does not contain:

1. An itemisation of any records or parts thereof being refused

2. A description of their contents

3. A corresponding citation of the relevant exemptions applicable to those records or parts.

In consideration of the appeal I referred to the investigation report produced by the Office of the Information Commissioner entitled, “The Freedom of Information Act - Compliance by FOI Bodies” - January 2020.

It is absolutely ridiculous that a public representative has to go through such rigamarole in order to try to get information about our Covid-19 strategy. It is no wonder that the public has lost faith in this Government. There is no transparency, honesty or accountability. There is just spin and, unfortunately, lies. I updated my FOI requests and resubmitted them on 22 January last. We then had the so-called public announcements by the four men who are leading our Government's response yesterday evening, even though everything had already been leaked. The Government's press calls should be renamed leak confirmation calls.

Let us see how much the Government has done in respect of an all-Ireland Covid-19 strategy over the past three months. If that information is forthcoming, will it, as I suspect, emerge that there has been more dithering on the part of this ineffectual and apparently rudderless Government for the majority of the period in question. The Taoiseach went against NPHET's advice in December and opened the economy for Christmas. This led to hundreds of unnecessary deaths. Our hospitals are operating above capacity and our hard-working front-line health service staff are at the end of their tethers. Will the Taoiseach provide a full and detailed report to the Dáil on the negotiations and discussions with both jurisdictions in pursuit of an all-Ireland Covid-19 strategy?

The Deputy does not need to make an FOI request in order to obtain the Government's strategy on Covid-19. He is aware that the roadmap for living with Covid-19 was published a number of months ago and we are now at level 5 of that roadmap in the context of suppressing the numbers. The numbers are falling steeply but there is enormous pressure on our hospitals.

As already stated, our policy is clear. It is a policy that involves prolonged suppression of the virus and getting the numbers down and keeping them there. We will be assisted in that regard with the roll-out of the vaccination programme. So far, we have been in a position to vaccinate the residents of nursing homes and the staff who work in long-term healthcare facilities, as well as up to 78,000 front-line healthcare workers. The next phase will be to complete the first dose of all front-line healthcare workers. We have commenced administering the second dose in 27 nursing homes. That is a key part of our approach to managing and suppressing the virus. That is why the level 5 restrictions have been extended to 5 March. People have responded to those restrictions and their response is driving down the numbers. That will help to relieve the pressure on the front-line healthcare workers who are doing extraordinary work in our hospitals and intensive care units.

The possibility of a zero Covid-19 strategy has been discussed. We have never received public health advice to pursue such a strategy. We debated the matter in this House and views were expressed. However, the implications of such a strategy have never been fleshed out. I am willing to debate it at any time in the context of the period for which the country would need to be locked down. New Zealand will be locking down for a further 12 months. That is its decision but its geography is somewhat different.

The Deputy talks about the all-island strategy as if it is all the Dublin Government's fault. That is a false and untrue fallback position that has no substance. The Dublin Government does not run the Northern Ireland Executive. There are five parties on that Executive and they have taken their decisions over time in respect of Covid-19. The two chief medical officers have agreed a memorandum of understanding and they engage with each other. We have had meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council and I have spoken on a number of occasions to the First Minister and the deputy First Minister on alignment. The Deputy knows the political issues in the North as well as I do but he does not call them out either because it suits him and others to blame the Dublin Government for everything. That tends to be the fallback position when, as he knows, the reality is different.

I would love to thank the Taoiseach for his answer but I am afraid I cannot. People always ask me what I think of the responses I receive on Leader's Questions and I say I never listen to them because they mean nothing. The Taoiseach's response shows that to be true. I would advise him to listen back to this debate because he has not responded in respect of what I asked him about. The Taoiseach stated that he spoke to Northern Ireland representatives about Covid-19 and the response to it. Where are the records of that? There are no records. I put in an FOI request specifically asking the Department for the records. None were supplied and I was told that there are none. The HSE came back to say that there are no records. What has happened here? Are these conversations taking place in a phone box or something? The Government has civil servants sitting there making notes of these meetings. If such notes have been made, the Government should publish them. I would love to be able to come in here next week and say to the Taoiseach that I am sorry and that I was wrong. I would love to be able to do so but I would say that I will not have to.

I am not as arrogant as the Deputy. I will always listen to other Deputies' perspectives and respond to them. I do not dismiss them like the Deputy does and I am not as cynical as him that he does not even bother worrying about or listening to the reply any more. He should not be putting the questions if that is his attitude.

The Deputy knows I have spoken to the First Minister and the deputy First Minister and he knows what the attitude of the members of the Executive is on alignment with the Republic. Unfortunately, one of the barriers to North-South alignment has been that there is a political dimension to it. That dimension relates to both travel and alignment. We are now in the position of being in alignment on the island in the context of the majority of measures we are taking. We are at level 5 and Northern Ireland is at its highest level of lockdown as well. We extended the lockdown until 5 March and not just until the end of February in order to maintain that alignment. There is not full alignment on travel, however. Those are the realities. The Deputy knows that in his heart but it suits him to blame the Dublin Government.

Show us the correspondence.

The Dublin Government does not run the Northern Ireland Executive. The elected representatives in the North are responsible for their jurisdiction and the political decisions they take on the pandemic but the Deputy seems oblivious to that fact and that reality.