Mr. Muiris O'Connor:

It was a collective decision in the end. As Mr. Towey has said, we were aiming to give effect to the Government's decision in the timeframe signalled by the Government. We worked from morning to night each day and there were only two days between the Government meeting and the signalled deadline. Colleagues from the Department of Foreign Affairs and those in this meeting were sifting through the practicalities involving people in destinations outside Ireland who were trying to come home. For example, there was consideration of people's ability to access tests. We regret that people incurred what would they would now regard as unnecessary expenses in getting tests, which were an extra layer of assurance consistent with the Government advice. We did not want penal provisions in place for people who, with the best will in the world, absolutely could not turn around a test administered by a professional in the time window. It was a combination of factors, including the feasibility of implementing the regulation and the direct feeds coming through embassies, justice and transport networks. People genuinely needed time to be able to comply with provisions. That is why we acknowledged it was not optimal. This is part of the nature of responding to the pandemic and the unpredictability of it. The Government was eager to be decisive in a precautionary way, pending the filling out of information. That will fill out very quickly in the weeks ahead.

With regard to Deputy O'Connor's comments, the Department of Health and NPHET have nothing against airlines. We have done much work to ensure travel can be done in a safe way and we have played an active part in European measures. We have been at the heart of certifications and the passenger locator form process.

These are not restrictions in our minds. They are an infrastructure in which travel can continue to operate during the pandemic. The public health specialists are paying a great deal of attention to Omicron. The Government's stated position is that the extra measures, including testing, are temporary and under constant review. Others have mentioned a specific Government commitment to a formal review in two weeks. These measures will not be kept indefinitely or beyond when they are valuable, but they are valuable right now as we hold our breath and pay attention to the scientific community.