Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

We have mandatory PCR testing now. It is mandatory for anyone coming into the country. Many European countries and the UK have done something similar, so in effect there is mandatory testing, particularly on international air travel. We have also introduced antigen testing and not just in the hospitals. Yesterday was the first day of the introduction of antigen testing on truckers and hauliers going from Ireland to France. I know that for hauliers this is a further imposition in difficult times with Brexit and all the complications that it brings but one upside may be that it gives us exactly what the Chairman is suggesting.

It gives us a clear model and example of how it is working, the timelines, the cost, the success and the pick-up rate. What we will see in part of the solution we are going to move towards is increasing testing like that. It is not foolproof and I would not give false confidence that it is going to catch every single thing. There will be false negatives-----