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The Taoiseach has told the Fianna Fáil Parliamentary Party meeting that it is possible Leaving Cert students, junior and senior infants and fifth year students will be able to return to the classroom on March 1st.
However, Mr Martin told the meeting that the UK B117 variant of Covid now represents 90 per cent of all cases, and this will complicate any relaxation of restrictions. He said that reopening schools and the return of construction was a priority.
Micheál Martin said the cabinet subcommittee on Covid-19 will meet on Thursday and discuss public health in the coming period, but there was “huge concern” in public health over the growing prevalence of the UK variant.
Sources at the meeting said Micheál Martin indicated other students will likely return through the month of March as this will allow the HSE and Nphet to monitor the impact of the resumption of classes. He said that the goal was to give Leaving Cert students “options and choice” and said “maximum options” should be given to third level students.
He told the meeting that by mid May, most over-70s will be vaccinated. He warned, however, that there will be a significant period of ongoing restrictions in March and April to get numbers down and to guard against the spread of variants.
He said that hundreds are still in hospital and many in ICU, and that while there would be pressure to open up society, the Government was focused on suppressing the new variant and driving numbers down to a low level.
Sources at the meeting said several members of the parliamentary party pushed for early access to Covid-19 vaccines for family carers, patients on dialysis and those with cancer, with Cormac Devlin and Dara Calleary making contributions.
Some members also criticised communications from the HSE and Department of Health, and called on Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly to make improvements.
Mr Donnelly told the meeting he expected 80,000 vaccinations to be administered this week, and that he had asked the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) to consider the vaccination sequence for certain groups, including high risk kidney-dialysis patients, people under 65 and those with underlying conditions.
Burning turf
Meanwhile the former Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen said Fianna Fáil should resist and reject any proposals to outlaw households burning turf.
He said households should be allowed to use turf, whether cut by themselves or purchased from commercial cutters.
It comes as Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan works on a plan to ban smoky coal nationwide, as well as considering bans on high moisture wood and peat products like peat briquettes - although Mr Ryan has made clear that households which have rights to extract turf from bogs for their own use will not be affected.
Mr Cowen said that introduction of retrofitting programmes being worked on by Mr Ryan would drive down turf usage in any event.
His concerns were echoed byMr Calleary, the man who succeeded him as Minister for Agriculture, who also expressed concern on any movements to restrict domestic turf burning.
Jackie Cahill, the Tipperary TD, expressed concern about the use of peat for horticulture industries and stressed to the Taoiseach that a working group must deliver for horticulture and allow home produced peat to be extracted in 2021.
Senator Timmy Dooley told the meeting that the party’s position should back a bill he has coming to the Seanad, which would ban smoky coal, but not turf and timber. He reminded the party that the parliamentary party previously backed his bill and said it was the Fianna Fáil position “and we shouldn’t move from that”.
Senator Malcolm Byrne said that there was a need to proceed with the nationwide smoky coal ban as soon as possible as 1,500 people die every year from poor air quality.
Sources said Mr Martin told colleagues that he was “concerned” at the uneven pace of decarbonisation and the Just Transition process, and that some communities are being left behind, which should be addressed.
Ulster Bank
Carlow-Kilkenny TD John McGuinness told the meeting there should be an immediate Dáil debate on Ulster Bank, as speculation continues that its parent company Natwest is about to sell the Irish lender. He criticised the Government’s performance on banking issues, saying they showed “little or no interest in what’s happening”, saying people in arrears were being threatened and were preparing for evictions after the pandemic.
Responding, Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath said he couldn’t give a full response as the meeting was effectively being “live-streamed”, a reference to contemporaneous media coverage of the event. However, he said the Government was very active on the Ulster Bank issue, and had engaged with the NatWest chair and the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the UK.
He said the Government is examining the impact of different scenarios that may emerge.
James Lawless, the Kildare North TD, raised the issue of why the Dáil is meeting in its current slimmed-down format in the convention centre. He said his interpretation of the constitution is that there would be no reason privilege can’t extend to virtual meetings, and that the current situation was farcical with members driving from Kerry and Roscommon to sit in offices for virtual meetings at a time when unnecessary journeys were supposed to be avoided.
The Land Development Agency Bill was debated and largely welcomed by TDs.
There was also some criticism of the vaccination centres in some counties, sources said.