Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. I wish to raise the issue of the pandemic unemployment payments and call for a debate on the Covid-19 payments. This has been such an unmitigated disaster for the Government. It must be very embarrassing. I support entirely what Senator Higgins has said. How can we possibly deal with this law today, now that we know there are so many holes in it? We know the Free Legal Advice Centres have already declared that the approach that has been taken is illegal. The whole issue of pandemic unemployment payment claimants having to be genuinely seeking work raises the question of how it works for the barman or tour operator, whose sectors of employment are shut down.

I have to ask another question. I welcome the Minister's U-turn this morning, which is the latest one from this Government. How did this situation develop in the first place? We have seen junior members of the Government complaining that they were not consulted about this change. We had a Fianna Fáil Deputy declaring yesterday evening that it was a road to a police state. He then voted for the Bill. It looks to me like the decision was taken unilaterally by the Tánaiste. Is this what we can expect from this Government? Can we expect Ministers to make decisions which will affect the lives of some of our most vulnerable people in such an off-the-cuff manner? That is not to mention the obvious framing of this policy. I want to hear from Government representatives here why welfare recipients only are to be punished for foreign travel. If Ministers are genuinely concerned about public health, why not take action against the wealthy who have been coming and going from our airports as they please? Perhaps they could start with our tax exile friends. The Tánaiste's actions smack of class prejudice. That is what this is about.

The other question that arises in this context relates to how the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection is getting information about the travel plans of recipients. Stories have appeared in the press about families who have had their child benefit stopped after travelling. Another woman claimed that her payment was stopped after booking a ferry trip to France, a trip she did not go on. How did the Department know this? The Data Protection Commissioner has expressed dire concerns. How on earth can we pass a law this afternoon when all of these questions remain unanswered?

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCathaoirleach. I agree with Senators Hoey and Ó Donnghaile that we should get clarity as soon as possible concerning the direct provision centre in Cahersiveen. I suggest to the Acting Leader that a statement might be provided on the matter to this House, preferably on the Order of Business tomorrow.

Last week, when we discussed the very successful European stimulus package agreed by the European Council of Ministers, I pointed out that although this was a great example of European solidarity, the principles of the European Union are based on solidarity but also on the rule of law and human rights.

I expressed concern that funding should only be granted to those countries that follow through on the expression of those values. I raised in particular my concern about Poland and Hungary. Since I raised that issue last week we have seen a further deterioration in respect for these values in those countries. Poland has decided to withdraw from the Istanbul Convention, a treaty aimed at preventing violence against women. Its justice minister said that the document was harmful as it required schools to teach children about gender. In Hungary, we saw the closure of the last independent news site, the Index news site, where the editor was effectively fired and 70 journalists had to quit. A country without a free press is not a democracy. I do not believe the European Governments went far enough in insisting that the funding to be made available under the €1.8 trillion deal should be linked to these values. I hope the European Parliament is a lot stronger on it. I ask the Acting Leader to ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to raise concerns about these issues and the continuing deterioration of respect for human rights in Poland and Hungary. We in this House cannot start to talk about the importance of human rights and how they are dealt with in oppressive regimes like China, Venezuela or the Philippines while failing to ensure those rights are respected within the European Union.