I got a call from the Business Committee today saying the debate on Covid-19 was being moved from Wednesday to Thursday to allow for new legislation to be introduced here to deal with outdoor drinking - it seems the indoor drinking will not be allowed anyway - and the appointment of judges.

That is a plethora of issues in one legislative measure. This is downright blackguarding. We need a proper, full and meaningful debate in the House to deal with the massive implications of today's decision. Last night, the Government was told by NPHET and today it says: "Yes, we will do it. How high do you want us to jump?". The Taoiseach went off on a Zoom call or something else. He is in Zoom-land anyway. Those in government will all be zoomed off. They are all zoned out because they are not listening to the people. Now, hey presto, the Government is going to engage in a social dialogue with the industry, 15 months later. It is codding nobody. We need a full, meaningful, long and detailed debate on the implications of this. Are we going to have an international investigation of the behaviour of NPHET and its bonkers advice?

I also wish to express my concern about the proposal to push the statements on the vaccine roll-out to Friday. The reports today are very concerning and we need to deal with them as soon as possible. While we all want to facilitate legislation that clarifies the position regarding outdoor dining, to include another issue relating to High Court judges in the same legislative measure is not helpful at all. Those issues should be dealt with separately. We have real concerns about this.

The other point is that the Common Agricultural Policy has finally been negotiated. This is a matter of serious concern to rural Ireland and we need time to debate it this week as well. We need clarification on those issues before we can agree to the schedule for this week.

I agree that the debate on the Covid-19 vaccination programme should happen when it was scheduled to take place, particularly in view of the important announcements that have been made.

I also object in the strongest possible terms to the guillotine being imposed on Report Stage of the Land Development Agency Bill 2021. This legislation deals with the entire public land bank and, in the view of some of us, is essentially opening that land bank to private speculators and investors. Our group has tabled approximately 60 amendments that seek to protect the public land bank from privatisation and the vast majority of those amendments will not even be reached because of the guillotine. That is absolutely unacceptable. I ask the Government to lift the guillotine so we can properly debate all the amendments on this critical issue, which relates to the provision of public and genuinely affordable housing on public land.

The Wednesday evening slot is fast becoming the guillotine slot. That is something the Business Committee has to do more work on because it is absolutely unsatisfactory. The moving of the debate on the vaccine roll-out to Friday's ghost sitting is totally unsatisfactory given everything that is happening daily and, in particular, what has been announced this afternoon. We dissent in the strongest possible terms.

The decision that has been made today on hospitality is absolutely disastrous. It will push tens of thousands of people in the State further into poverty. It is completely wrong that this decision has not yet been the subject of democratic discussion in the Chamber. Either Irish restaurants and pubs are more dangerous than their counterparts in the rest of Europe or our Government is alone in Europe in not being able to make a decision in this regard. There must be a debate on the matter this week.

I hope this is the last week we will sit in this Chamber wasting taxpayers' money. We are told it is on public health advice, yet we will sit in Leinster House on Friday. Whoever is providing the health advice is providing health advice that is as riddled with inconsistencies as the NPHET advice is on how to deal with Covid-19. I hope the Ceann Comhairle, as the Speaker and as a constitutional officer, will give a commitment that we are not going to waste any more taxpayers' money by sitting in this obscene building.

A Cheann Comhairle-----

We can only have one speaker from each group.

I call on the Government to ensure there is a debate to discuss why it is keeping the pubs in rural Ireland and rural Kerry closed indefinitely.

Please, Deputy-----

Why is it doing that? What is it hiding? What has it against them?

Deputy Healy-Rae, you are out of order.

Come out and tell us. We want an open and honest debate about this.

Resume your seat, please. You are out of order.

What the Government is doing is out of order; a Cheann Comhairle, totally out of order.

It might be, but you are out of order.

There is no rhyme or reason. I want to know the reason.

Please resume your seat. I call Deputy Cian O'Callaghan.

I also do not agree with moving the debate on the Covid-19 vaccination programme to later in the week.

I also object in the strongest possible terms to the use of the guillotine on the Land Development Agency Bill 2021. Considerable time has already been devoted to that Bill on Committee Stage, so it really is very disappointing that the Government is seeking to guillotine it now. With some more time allocated, we could do the Bill proper justice. It is significant legislation and it deserves proper scrutiny and adequate time. The use of the guillotine on such important legislation is not acceptable at all.

I thank the Deputy. Does the Minister wish to reply?

Yes, I will address various issues raised. First, the debate on Covid-19 is on Friday, and that will be timely because we are not making final decisions on this. As I said, we must consider, listen and engage and Friday will allow for that debate here, as well as for the briefing in advance. The outdoor legislation that comes before the House on Wednesday regarding our Covid-19 crisis is critical.