In the last couple of hours, I have been informed by the four national representative taxi groups that the Garda has banned their planned protest, which was due to take place outside Leinster House tomorrow, on Merrion Street. This is a shocking development. There would be no threat to public health because the taxi drivers were going to be in their cars. That was clearly outlined to the Garda, yet the Garda Commissioner, Drew Harris, has banned the protest on public health grounds. Given that the Criminal Justice (Amendment) Bill 2021 is up for debate today and the acting Minister for Justice will be in the House, I request that she make a statement on whether this interpretation of the public health guidelines to ban a legitimate and safe protest by taxi drivers is in line with the Government's view of public health guidelines. She should also find out what on earth Drew Harris thought he was doing in using public health as an excuse to ban a legitimate protest by taxi drivers.

It would be a most unusual step for the House to intervene in any way in an operational matter for An Garda Síochána.

I wish to speak on the same issue. I have been contacted by taxi drivers from Tipperary who planned to come to Dublin in their cars tomorrow. They have been wiped out by the "condemic". It might be an unusual step for us to raise this here but these are unusual times. Are we living in a totally totalitarian state whereby we cannot protest safely in cars? This is unbelievable. We saw what happened in County Longford at the weekend in a church. It is disgraceful. Are we going back to the time of Hitler and the Nazis? What the hell is going on here? We must pull up Drew Harris, the Garda Síochána boss man. I do not like these antics. I support An Garda Síochána always but this is driving people away from supporting the Garda. We need to have a debate on it here.