Kehoe critical of Dáil sitting the in middle of crisis

MINISTER Paul Kehoe expressed criticism of the fact that the Dáil sat last Thursday and such was his level of discontent with the decision that he labelled it as ‘deplorable’.

Highlighting the way people in County Wexford have responded to the Covid-19 crisis he said a clear message was sent out from the country’s public health experts: ‘Stay at home unless absolutely essential.’

‘As a Minister and TD for Wexford, I am really proud of the efforts that families and businesses in the county have made,’ Minister Kehoe told this newspaper.

‘This has seen businesses show ingenuity and think outside of the box so that they could continue to conduct their activities through using the likes of video conferencing and mobile apps etc,’ he added.

Minister Kehoe said that with that in mind he thought the decision for the Dáil to sit last Thursday was wrong.

‘That is why I think the decision of the Dáil to sit on Thursday - when there were no motions or votes - was quite deplorable,’ he said.

‘It sends out a contradictory message and also put the health and safety of the staff of Leinster House at unnecessary risk,’ he added.

‘Politicians should at no point be above scrutiny but if the European Parliament and Westminster can take extraordinary measures during this crisis then so can Dáil Éireann.’

Minister Kehoe then, again, acknowledged the role played by the people of Wexford: ‘I thank all the people of Wexford and beyond for their Trojan efforts to-date.’