I thank the Cathaoirleach and echo his very nice sentiments to our men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann, who have served with the UN, represented our country and made us all proud. The UN and the blue helmet are synonymous with the Irish Defence Forces.

The Order of Business is No. 1, motion regarding appointment of ordinary members to the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of the Order of Business; No. 2, report of the Committee on Procedure and Privileges on the amendment of Standing Orders 60, 61 and 105, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of No. 1; No. 3, motion regarding establishment of special committee on key issues affecting the Traveller community, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of No. 2; No. 4, motion regarding establishment of select committee on disability matters, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of No. 3; No. 5, motion regarding membership of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of No. 4; No. 6, motion regarding instruction to the Joint Committee on Public Petitions, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of No. 5; No. 7, motion regarding restoration of Bills to the Order Paper, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of No. 6; No. 7a on the Supplementary Order Paper, report of the Committee of Selection, to be taken without debate on the conclusion of No. 7; and No. 8, Forestry (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2020 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 1 p.m. or 15 minutes after conclusion of No. 7a, whichever is the later.

I join you, a Chathaoirligh, in commending the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann who have served with the United Nations. I particularly salute the brave soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

I ask the Deputy Leader to arrange a debate on the HSE's winter plan which was announced this week. There is an urgent need for a debate in the House on bed capacity, staffing and the availability of the flu vaccine and its accessibility. I welcome the €600 million allocated to the winter plan initiative. It will be a major challenge and is an operational task that must be successful. I hope the debate will focus on the entire plan, not just the hospital setting. It must be driven by the community, home supports and home care packages. This is not just about beds, as some have claimed and have grabbed headlines for doing so. It is about staffing and creating access pathways to funding. More importantly, it is about keeping people at home and being treated in the community. We all recognise that in the context of Covid-19 there must be a GP-led approach. Do we need to send older people into our hospitals and overcrowded emergency departments, particularly older members of the community who have respiratory ailments? I do not believe we need to send them to the hospitals, nor should we. That is why it is important to have a debate on the winter plan. It has to be successful.

Finally, I reiterate my urgent plea that the House debate the aviation sector. It is in a precarious position, but there appears to be a malaise in certain sections of the Government with regard to that sector. I ask the Deputy Leader to urgently invite the Minister or Ministers to the House for this debate.

I echo Senator Buttimer's comments welcoming the provision of extra funds for a comprehensive winter strategy. However, I have been writing and speaking for some time on one issue, which is that we should have clear indications of what was done between March and now to increase hospital capacity and particularly intensive care unit, ICU, capacity. I agree with Senator Buttimer that this is, effectively, the line of last resort and that keeping people adequately treated and cared for in their homes is the optimal strategy. We must have a clear view of what has been achieved and what is intended to be achieved. I do not wish to be unfair to anybody, but I have heard senior administrators and Ministers being asked about what was done between March and now in respect of ICU capacity and they have all ended up talking about washing one's hands and wearing masks. There is something wrong. People are not being frank with the public about these matters.

I have a second comment on this. With regard to the regulations made under the Health Act 1947, the Government should be in a position to make those regulations on an emergency basis, but the regulations should be required to be given a positive consideration by each House of the Oireachtas for them to last a considerable period. I am not trying to ape Westminster, but I notice that MPs on all sides in Westminster are now coming to the conclusion that they are excluded from considering the merits, proportionality or reasonableness of the regulations and are not in a position to deal with the fairness or unfairness of some of them.

We live in a parliamentary democracy where the Government can, in certain circumstances, make emergency decrees but we are now living in a system of government by decree. The very least we can do, and should do, is to amend the Health Act 1947 to provide that if something drastic has to happen immediately in Dublin, or wherever, to cope with a crisis arising from Covid-19, it can be done, but the regulations, if they are to endure beyond a certain period of time, need a positive consideration by both Houses of the Oireachtas. That seems a reasonable thing to ask so that we do not just carry on with government by decree. I ask the Leader to ask the Minister for Health to come before the House and consider amending the Health Act 1947 to provide for such parliamentary scrutiny.