Taoiseach Loe Varadkar today announced that the transmission of Covid-19 in the community has been effectively suppressed.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe joined Matt Cooper on The Last Word to address calls for the government to speed up the easing of restrictions to get people back to work, to get businesses back up and running and to save the state some of the money it is spending on supports.

As the Irish economy reopens gradually over the coming months it remains to be seen what will lie in store for the people whose wages are being subsidised by the state or for those who are claiming the Covid unemployment payment.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe says the government will be considering a number of options over the coming weeks but warned that we are in the middle of a crisis and every cent we have will have to be spent carefully.