Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, on the all-island question put by the Deputy, I will work towards achieving the maximum synergy between the Northern Ireland Executive and our Government in the suppression of the virus on the island of Ireland. That is very important. I acknowledge, however, the de facto situation in terms of the roles and responsibilities of the Northern Executive and the fact that it is connected to the public health advice in the UK. There are issues that we should acknowledge in that respect. People will say in a throwaway phrase that it should be all-Ireland, and we will all agree with that. The reality of doing that, however, is clearly challenging. The joint memorandum between the chief medical officers in the North and in the Republic is good.

That is a welcome start. The North-South Ministerial Council will give us a further opportunity and I welcome the fact that we are having it at the end of July for the first time in three and a half years. That will give us an opportunity to create structures to discuss these things. We discussed travel in a constructive way last week. I just made the point that we were concerned about travel and that everybody needed to keep a watchful eye, North and South, on the travel situation. We are strengthening our position on incoming travel, low though it is compared with prior to Covid.

On the Deputy's question about supporting people, there have been significant and unprecedented supports through the pandemic unemployment payment and the wage subsidy scheme for the population in general. We have not come forward with specific proposals relating to compensation of those who perhaps had to cancel holidays that they perhaps booked some time ago. In the stimulus programme, we will develop significant initiatives to support the hospitality and tourism sector via means that will help ordinary citizens to avail of such hospitality and tourism facilities in Ireland.

See this speech in context