The legislation that is expected to go through today is the fifth major legislative provision on Covid restrictions that the Government has put through the House. This is the fifth time the Government has used its majority not to put forward its legislative agenda, which is legitimate, but to curtail debate and ensure that Opposition amendments will not even be considered. That is not legitimate and it is not democracy. It turns democracy into a tyranny of the majority. Deliberative assembly and deliberative democracy go out the window. At what point does civil disobedience become legitimate? There is obviously a point at which it does. The Taoiseach called for civil disobedience in the form of peaceful protests in Belarus last summer, in the teeth of a pandemic, to be allowed and respected, even though protests were banned by the Government there. At what point is civil disobedience acceptable and legitimate if democracy is not adhered to?

Through the Chair, is the Deputy comparing Belarus to Ireland?

No, but I am asking you at what point does it become-----

Can we not be-----

He asked me a question back.

Please, Deputy. You have asked the question.

I asked the question through the Chair-----

And I answered.

-----because there was a reference made to civil disobedience. I accept the Deputy's clarification. It is an important clarification because, obviously, we are not, in any shape or form, comparable to the Lukashenko regime. In terms of the Parliament, we want to achieve a balance here. There are people arguing for more liberation and saying we are closing down too much and have not opened fast enough.

You curtailed debate every time. Five out of five.

Deputy, please.

On the other hand, we have to work through the public health advice we receive. It is in order to try to implement that public health advice in the context of facilitating the reopening of hospitality, and trying to get a balance in all of that, that the legislation is coming forward. That is what we are endeavouring to do.