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Fianna Fáil’s TDs have demanded that Taoiseach Micheál Martin allow the country to move to level 2 restrictions in the run-up to Christmas.
Martin was responding to calls from several TDs at Fianna Fáil’s parliamentary party meeting on Wednesday night to give the public hope and relief after weeks of hardship. He said a statistical and behavioral analysis is being conducted in his department to determine the exit.
He praised the public’s commitment to stopping the spread of Covid-19 and said the focus should be maintained until the end of the six-week period to provide maximum flexibility once lockdown restrictions are lifted.
Martin had previously told Dáil that level 3 is the most likely landing point after the current level 5 restrictions, but several TDs and senators asked him to go further.
TD John Lahart from South West Dublin was said to have made a big contribution, stating that a move to Level 3 after six weeks of lockdown would be “demoralizing”.
Sligo TD Marc MacSharry echoed Lahart’s calls, saying that level 3 “wouldn’t be enough.” He expressed concern that retailers should be supported as people are “panicking online” for fear of chaos in December.
Important businesses for the country are being lost, he said.
Dun Laoghaire TD Cormac Devlin said that people have made “tremendous sacrifices” and that the government should be “at level 2 with adjustments to allow people to have some kind of Christmas.”
At the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting, a motion tabled by former Minister Eoghan Murphy was approved, calling for a debate between Dáil and Seanad on the management of the pandemic after the shutdown.
Meanwhile, Mr. Martin has agreed to review a call from Labor leader Alan Kelly requesting the publication of other letters between Chief Justice Frank Clarke and Justice Seamus Woulfe.
Speaking at the Dáil, Kelly said that it was quite obvious that there is another correspondence between the Chief Justice and Justice Woulfe.
“We therefore have only partial correspondence. Through the attorney general, can the Taoiseach request that the other correspondence be published? ”He asked Mr. Martin.
Martin said he will reflect on what Kelly asked for.
Mr. Martin informed his TDs and senators that a meeting of party, government and opposition leaders will be held at 2.30 pm on Friday to discuss how the Woulfe issue can be handled.
MacSharry said it sounds like a rather contradictory letter from a high-ranking member of the judiciary – a personal opinion was expressed that differs from the work of former Chief Justice Susan Denham.
Tánaiste Leo Varadkar warned at the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting that members should not comment on what he called the Supreme Court issue.
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