Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for coming before the committee this morning. Like everybody else, I recognise the enormity of the job they have in hand. We should acknowledge and compliment them on taking on the job, notwithstanding that there were a number of glitches, as that was to be expected. We acknowledge the magnitude of their task. It is not that we want to deliberately poke holes in what is happening, it is better for everybody if we can have a seamless, smooth operation of any process.

I commend the European Union digital certificate. The presumption is that it would be universally recognised but that is not true because countries have the option of introducing rules of their own. As we know, Malta, which is an EU country, has decided on a different set of standards. Nobody goes on holidays to be quarantined in a hotel. It was a huge blow to people who have gone on holidays and may have found themselves in that kind of situation. Is it possible to identify countries with different interpretations of the rules and to alert the travelling public to that in advance, by way of an announcement or the dissemination of information on electronic media or by whatever other means? That could eliminate a lot of double-checking or crossing over.