Last night, we got the living with Covid plan mark II. It could have been subtitled "More of the Same". It contains restrictions for ordinary people while turning a blind eye to what is happening in the meat plants and while there is no enforcement of employers in terms of working from home and there is a half-arsed approached to mandatory hotel quarantining. All of this is combined with a new vaccination target that seems to have been plucked out of the air.

What does this have to do with the Order of Business?

We have no time this week to debate the new plan. Our regular slot to debate vaccinations and Covid has been removed this week and, for the seventh week in a row, there will be no Taoiseach's questions. The Government is running from accountability. That is not on. We objected to this at the Business Committee and we will object to it in the Chamber. We need time to debate these matters.

On behalf of the Rural Independent Group, I must object to rushing this legislation. Rushed legislation is normally bad legislation. We do not have enough time to debate it. I am unsure as to how many Deputies will be present to vote.

The Taoiseach has stopped briefing Opposition leaders, including me. Contrary to what he told the House last week, we have not had a briefing since November. He will hide from accountability by having no Taoiseach's questions or a proper debate. We expect the little people - I mean the ordinary people and nothing derogatory - to comply with everything but the Government has refused to close the Border. I have said we should close the Border at every meeting we have had since last March. It is farcical that we will not have enough time to debate this Bill. Our amendments cannot be moved and discussed. It will end up in a mess.

I said last week that the curtailment of the Opposition in doing its job had to stop. It is unacceptable that, for the third week out of four, there will not be dedicated statements and questions to the Minister for Health on the public health response and the vaccination programme. Those statements and questions were agreed by the Business Committee and understood to take place every three weeks out of four.

I understand that additional hours will be allocated to Dáil sittings from next week. The Government needs to clarify for the record that there will be additional hours, more time for the Opposition and fixed statements with the Minister for Health for the duration of the crisis as a standing time slot every week on the public health response and the vaccination programme. We await those assurances.

The Taoiseach was present when the Social Democrats motion on extending the commission of investigation into mother and baby homes was passed today. As such, it is reasonable to have a session where the responsible Minister outlines what steps he will take as a matter of urgency to ensure the commission is not dissolved. We could not raise this matter on the Order of Business because we did not know the motion would pass. Now that it has, it is reasonable to create the space for the Minister to outline the next steps he will take to avoid being accused of cynicism or defying the will of the Parliament.