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The Dáil isn’t sitting on Tuesdays at the moment – no prizes for guessing why – but that doesn’t mean it’s not one of the busiest days in the political week.
While Taoiseach Micheál Martin does gets a reprieve from the caldron of Leaders’ Questions for a day, he still chairs the weekly Cabinet meeting with his Ministers.
And a string of Oireachtas committees cram all of their time-restricted (some might say mercifully so) public meetings into a single day as Covid-19 continues to limit the Oireachtas schedule.
In terms of the pandemic’s impact on society outside Leinster House, we reveal today how Ireland is set to receive less than half the deliveries of vaccines originally expected in the first three months of the year due to supply issues.
Paul Cullen and Jack Horgan-Jones also report that supplies of Johnson & Johnson’s “game changer” single-shot Covid-19 vaccine are not expected to arrive in Ireland until mid-April, a month after regulatory approval is granted.
Nonetheless, HSE chief executive Paul Reid is expected to tell one of those Oireachtas committees that Ireland is among the top five countries in the EU for vaccine rollouts work. See full details here.
There will be something of a packed agenda at Cabinet where Ministers are expected to be asked to sign off on plans for the Leaving Cert and to extend measures to protect renters impacted by the pandemic among other issues due to come up.
Minister for Education Norma Foley is to seek Government approval for plans for the State Examinations Commission (SEC) to get the legal powers to run the accredited – or calculated – grades system for the Leaving Cert along with the written exams.
The draft law will also prohibit canvassing of teachers by students or parents and provide indemnity from legal actions for teachers and schools for their role in participating in the calculated grades system.
Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien is expected to bring proposals to Government that would see protections for tenants struggling to meet their rent due to the Covid-19 pandemic extended for three months into July.
The protections, including rent freezes and an increased 90-day notice period for the ending of tenancies, are due to expire on April 12th otherwise.
Jennifer Bray reports on how personal injury cases that have not yet been assessed by the State’s awards body will be subject to new guidelines aimed at reducing damages.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee will bring proposals to Cabinet to give legal effect to the guidelines after judges this weekend gave their backing to the plans, which are designed to ensure that awards are proportionate to the injuries sustained.
Paid parental leave
Remember Government plans announced last summer to provide three week’s extra paid parent’s leave?
Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman is finally bringing the Family Leave Bill 2021 to Cabinet with the intention of having it passed within weeks so that parents can begin applying for the leave from the start of April.
Ministers are also expected to discuss the publication of a review of adoption files that was carried out in the wake of revelations about illegal adoptions that took place between 1946 and 1969.
Mr O’Gorman is to outline steps that can be taken as a result of the review at today’s Cabinet meeting.
If you find it hard to believe that decades into the 21st century Ireland’s political system has yet to figure out how to provide for maternity leader for Ministers you’re not alone.
Former European Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn says it’s “shocking” the issue hasn’t been dealt with more than 40 years after she gave birth while she was a Minister of State.
Ms Geoghegan-Quinn’s remarks and Mr Martin’s insistence that the Government will facilitate maternity leave for pregnant Ms McEntee can be read here.
Best Reads
The fallout from the Davy breaches of market rules continues to dominate the headlines. In our lead story, Joe Brennan reports on how Davy has closed its bond desk and the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) has withdrawn the stockbrokerage’s ability to act as a primary dealer of Irish bonds. See his report here.
Fintan O’Toole gives his view on the scandal in a piece headlined: If Davy cabal is not punished, we deserve the consequences.
We also cover THAT interview. Denis Staunton writes that Oprah Winfrey’s sit-down with Prince Harry and his wife Meghan is more dangerous to the monarchy that Diana’s 1995 interview with Martin Bashir due to its content and timing.
Dublin’s Poolbeg chimney stacks are in peril again. A maintenance programme is expected to costs several million euro and Dublin City Council has said their stability in the long-term may require them to be encased in concrete or fibreglass. See Dan Griffin’s report here.
Playbook
The Cabinet is meeting this morning and the Irish Times will keep you up-to-date on what has been discussed at the Government’s top table as details emerge during the day.
No fewer than 14 Oireachtas committees are holding public meetings. Up for discussion is everything from the 10th anniversary of the devastating conflict in Syria (Foreign Affairs and Defence) to Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan’s views on the National Development Plan (Transport and Communications) and the eradication of bovine TB (Agriculture).
HSE boss Paul Reid will face questions on vaccinations and all other matters Covid-19 related when he faces the Committee on Health at 9.45am.
And expect questions on the Davy scandal to take centre stage when representatives of the Central Bank appear at the Committee on Finance at 3.30pm.