Oliver Callan
One year on from General Election the main achievement of coalition is that it’s stable and in it for long haul
Comment
10 Feb 2021, 7:30
A YEAR on from a General Election is too soon to predict what might happen in the next one but it’s a good time to take stock of Government performance.
The main achievement of the coalition is that it’s a stable one and set to last a complete Dail term.
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Transport Minister Eamon Ryan, Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar
The Government’s best success was preventing the second Covid surge in October that brought death and sickness across Europe, but it badly mismanaged the third surge, with fatal consequences for nursing homes and ending the self-delusion that Ireland has handled the pandemic well.
Speaking at Government Buildings, Mr Varadkar explained there was an equivalence between a person arriving into the State with a negative PCR text within the previous 72 hours and a person who is a close contact of a positive case.
“You’re required to restrict your movements, so this is the equivalent of somebody who is a close contact, yes they have come in from overseas but they have tested negative,” he said.
He confirmed that a negative PCR test five days after arriving into the State would free a person from the quarantine requirements.
Mr Varadkar said issues related to enforcement of home quarantine would have to be worked out over the “the next couple of days and couple of weeks”.
However, the minister said he did not discuss the controversial €292,000 salary with Mr Watt. Rather he dealt with an assistant secretary in the department and the secretary general to the Government Martin Fraser.
Mr McGrath said there was discussion about Mr Watt moving from the Department of Public Expenditure to the Department of Health as far back as November last year.
Finance Committee chair John McGuinness there was public concern about the proposed salary and said it was a “pity that transparency didn’t play a deeper role” in process of deciding the pay increase.
Mr McGrath came under fire from Government and Opposition TDs over the course of the two hour committee meeting.
Coronavirus Ireland cases today: Update as 2,608 infections announced and 51 deaths confirmed
The figures come as Dr Tony Holohan warned that Ireland could see as many as 1,000 Covid-19 related deaths in the month of January alone
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