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LAST UPDATE | 6 Jan 2021
TAOISEACH MICHÉAL MARTIN said today that schools will stay closed for the remainder of this month with a review to be taken on when they will reopen.
Schools have not reopened since the Christmas break due to surging Covid-19 cases in the community and Cabinet decided today that they should remain closed.
Martin said in an address this afternoon however that students in the final year of their Leaving Certificate cycle will be allowed to attend school for three days a week. The Taoiseach reaffirmed the government’s commitment to the State exams proceeding as planned this year.
The Taoiseach also said that special education should remain open “with protections in place”.
Speaking at a post-Cabinet briefing at Government Buildings this afternoon, the Taoiseach outlined a range of new restrictions on top of the Level 5 measures already in place.
Martin confirmed that all construction except that which is deemed “essential” will cease for the remainder of January, commencing from 6pm on Friday.
The essential projects include health projects, schools and social housing with a list published on Gov.ie.
Martin also addressed childcare issues arising from the continued closure of schools, particularly relating to the children of essential workers.
Childcare services will close generally until the end of the month, but can remain open for vulnerable children and the children of essential workers.
On retail, click and collect from non-essential retail outlets is no longer be permitted with immediate effect.
Regarding travel, the current ban on travel from Britain and South Africa will continue until Saturday, at which point all passengers coming from those two countries will be required to be in possession of a negative PCR test that they acquired within 72 hours of travelling.
This new mandatory requirement will be in place until the end of the month when it will be reviewed.
Speaking about the decision that Leaving Cert students could attend schools for three days, the Taoiseach said it was “a difficult decision”.
“Education is the great equaliser and it’s the single most important factor in the great progress that this country has made since its foundation,” he said, later adding:
“The issue is the mobilisation of people. There’s a big difference between 61,000 people coming in in a staggered way, 61,000 Leaving Cert students, as opposed to a million people which would involve the entire population of teachers and students.
“We know from last year the huge difficulty in terms of developing an alternative to the Leaving Certificate, and its importance for this generation of students.”
In terms of supports, the government has also said that both the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) and Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme would remain at their current levels until 31 March.
Virus spread
The announcement of even tougher Covid-19 restrictions comes as Ireland experiences a daily growth rate of Covid-19 cases that is outpacing most of Europe.
Earlier today, it was confirmed that the number of people currently in hospital with Covid-19 eclipsed the previous peak of the pandemic in April.
Speaking about the situation, Martin said:
We are in a battle against the deadly and ever changing virus, the lockdown we are introducing today is designed to reflect that stark and simple reality. Unless you were involved in absolutely essential work, you have no reason to be away from your home and you simply must stay at home.
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But…but…but… the news said everyone paid!
So if everyone paid, they still only collected €160million?
And didn’t the ‘water grant’ cost €94 million?
So they actually only collected, and need to refund, €66 million?
How in sweet jaysus was that going to “safe-guard our water network”. I think they were telling porkies!
@Good Early:
How can anyone in this country have respect for Fianna Gael after this embarrassing fiasco? Leonard lying again today in Leinster House after Paul Murphy rightfully demanded an inquiry into the mass perjury by gardai during the “Jobstown” trial. The “thugs” Leonard referred to are himself and his colleagues. They will pay for their corruption at the next general election.
It would be rank hypocrisy for loyal FG and Labour voters to look for a refund. Ye were so vociferous in support of IW, Hogan and Kelly so don’t go looking for it back!
@DaisyChainsaw: But you know they will because that’s the sort of people that support FFG and Liebour.
@DaisyChainsaw:
Totally agree. Some of that money should be used to compensate the victims of the Jobstown stitch-up.
@Frank Cauldhame: that comment has to be a wind up !
@Suzie Sunshine: Oh no it does’nt ! The whole “show” trial was nothing but a pantomime by the establishment to put manners on good citizens who done nothing wrong as was established by the unanimous verdict by a jury of their peers. The victims had to endure 6am dawn raids in front of spouses/children/mothers/fathers/sons/daughters, some lost their jobs, incarceration at garda stations and all were lied about. I’d seek compensation.
Anyone who willingly paid into this corrupt scam and cheer led it on deserves nothing. The half wits should have stood in solidarity with the rest of the population that had the intelligence to see this corrupt, fake billing company for what it was.
@Ronan Sexton: You couldn’t sell your house without paying it. Do you think people should put their lives on hold over a very small charge?
@Ronan Sexton: we were forced to pay in order for the sale of our apartment to go through. There was legislation that wouldnt allow the sale to go through with outstanding property tax and a water bill. So we were forced to pay it. A refund would be lovely. I was forced to pay it
I said “willingly” Words are important.
@Ronan Sexton: So are you going to stand and judge who should get a refund? How much should we spend figuring out who is worthy of a refund?
@Kal Ipers: Which was an absolute lie it turned out. The barrister in the Land Registry said it was a charge on a property that has no basis in Irish Land Law.
It turns out that the Land Reg would never even ask for proof of payment or registration. To put a charge on a property there’s a lengthy process you would have to go through.
So, unless Irish Water were to take someone who was selling their house, to court, claiming they didn’t register, and the judge agreed, THEN a charge could be placed on the property stopping the sale, and this would be registered by Irish Water with the Land Registry.
Since no such legal charge was placed, it was absolutely lawful for anyone to sell their property without registration.
The government basically got solicitors to go along with the scam. Shows how inept they are if they didn’t read up the law on it.
Go figure. They lied.
@Kal Ipers: Jaysus, a simple tick the “I willingly paid into this blatantly obvious corrupt scam” box or the “I was forced to pay into this blatantly obvious corrupt scam” box would do the trick.
@Kal Ipers: And that came for Liz Pope. The head of the Property Registration Authority Ireland
@Good Early: You really don’t know what you are talking about. Just because a barrister said that doesn’t mean you can ignore it. You would have had to fight it in court and/or your solicitor. You had to pay it to sell in the real world
@Kal Ipers: If the head of the Property Registration Authority says it, it is true. I work there ya numpty!
There are also Constitutional issues regarding a private company, or even the government, neither of which are party to the sale, interfering on such a level. The only way it could be done, is if it was a tax by the government. If it wasn’t paid they could put a lien, via the court, on your property. But it’s not.
Just because something is legislated for, doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s lawful, or enforceable. According to the Land Registry, if ANYONE, had of challenged the legality of it, it would have be knocked in a second.
Again, this was a typical case of “if it looks real, and the people believe it, so be it”. It was a bit like saying they could garnish your wages, even though there is no legal basis in Ireland, from which they could do so.
@Good Early: Yet nobody did challenge it because in the actual world where you are selling your house delays are not what you want. In the real world you had to pay it even if it was just for convenience. Doesn’t matter a damn what a barrister says about it until there is a challenge to assert it.
@Kal Ipers: Fair enough. But my point is, your buddies in Fine Gael were caught lying, again. Everything they do is underhanded. And then they labelled all of us against this double-tax; terrorists, “sinister fringe” and other such nonsense.
Makes you wonder why know one in the media, and I mean no one, read any of the Acts, and challenged either Phil Hogan or Alan Kelly on the legality of their claims/statements.
One thing working in the PRAI has taught me is that the vast, vast, majority of solicitors who work in conveyancing, haven’t a clue what they are doing! Doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in the legal framework of the State, when they can’t get a simple form correct.
@Good Early: I think of all politicians are pretty much the same and have no favourite which you obviously do. You didn’t learn not to judge people in your job
Have to say it’s positively wonderful watching Fine Gael eating humble pie.
Ironic benefiting from the actions of water protesters, if you felt the payment was just, forget it ….
They shouldn’t br refunded no way …thwy were told not to pay so let them live without a refund
@Laurence O Neill: Told? Was that by the people threatening workers or the group that stopped people going home from work?
Excuse me if I don’t listen to mobs.
@Kal Ipers: I think he probably meant they were informed of the corrupt scam.
@Ronan Sexton: Didn’t you just say words are important? He didn’t say what you are claiming
@Kal Ipers: Get a life like a good lad.
@Kal Ipers: “probably”
Many people that paid, did so under pressure and scaremongering. It saddened me to hear some people did pay but I completely understand why. Those of us that didn’t must stand together with those that did and not let this divide us.
@Dante Marquinhos:
Elderly folk paid their bills when Big Phil the Fine Gael Bully Boy threatened them with disconnection.
He should be brought back from Europe and dragged through the streets.
@Mark DeFriest: Of course and then consider how far the government were prepared to go. Joan Burton and the Gardaí lying in court. Alan Kelly aggressively pushing water charges, while his brother was buying up water infrastructures all over the world but very few would point out the conflict of interest. Among a myriad of other examples that could be given.
If you still think that Irish Water was not being set up to be privatised, then you are partly whats wrong with this country.
It’s funny they have such a hard time calculating how much should be given back. I’d imagine it’s pretty close to the amount they collected. In the opposite scenario, they’d know well how much they’d be getting and they’d be freely adding millions onto their figures.
Sur what’s a couple of million difference to a grouping of incompetent politicians who manage to quadruple the state debt from 50 billion to 200 billion!
Any news on when Irish Water will be abolished in its entirety.
I don’t mind paying for water (which I am doing currently anyway).
But as a company IW is an unmitigated disaster and needs to close down entirely.
@Colin Morris: ah sure the councils have done a stellar job over the last 30 years
@Colin Morris: We shoud shut down Irish water and fire all of the people in the local authorities who mismanaged our water and sewage systems for decades.
FF FG Liebour destroying the majority to benefit a few. This will continue untill we change it …
The Irish people should done the same thing with the property tax but it is possible !!!
looks like everything bad in the economy is down to the refunding of a 2nd tax which was pretty sneaky considering the plan was to sell off the water company. you (the politicians) caused huge financial penalties(billions on crappy 2nd hand water meters) at a time the contry hadnt a penny now we still havent a penny yet it is our fault???
hard luck pascal can still see through your waffle
Let the Irish Water saga be a lesson to the maggots in leinster House that the vast majority of people will not tolerate being ripped off any longer. The same applies to bin charges and tv licence increases. Its time the pocket stuffing shysters in the Dail realised who they’re employer is.
So how are water services actually being paid for now?
Oh ye, through taxation like allways.
And yet FG Alan sourpuss kelly and big phill wanted us to believe that it wasnt a double tax.
Irish people have thankfully started to see through their lies
Well in fairness they are entitled to a refund but they should not have paid it in the first place and let it up to other people to do their dirty work for them . They should have stood up for the Irish people instead of kissing the Irish governments ass but if they have a conscious they should give it to the homeless as the government is doing nothing at all
Older citizens paid because of all the threats and propaganda and people forced to pay to sell their property .,The rest were sheeple who were not willing to stand up to re-charging of water .If it was possible to separate those who were frightened into paying from those simpering gutless fools who paid without a whimper to get their money back from the super quango Irish Water i would be happy the rest ha ha .Organize a protest to get your money back .
Don’t deserve it.
Fg,FF, labour, corruption has destroyed the country.remove them from local council’s and Leinster house.doesnt matter with who, anything would be better to what we have suffered.
Da bunch of saps da paid should go out and protest for their moola back
Refund should come with a letter of apology, for bullying, threatening, antagonising, stress,anxiety, loss of sleep,blood pressure,arguments it causes coughs ,cold ,flu they cause to poeple marching in the cold wind and rain to stop the complete and utter nonsense of a audi, bonus culture quango called IW
@Ronan Sexton: your very ill informed – I could not sell my house unless I paid up to date my water charges- One of the first things my solicitor asked me!
@Dominick Lodola: Where did I mention anything about selling a house?
Just received a boil notice this evening. Some water
You don’t deserve what the criticism !
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