Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

When we are talking here today on these issues and other issues like it we have to talk about protecting the taxpayers' money. We were talking earlier about the deal done in recent days in Europe in terms of money and how we will disburse it but €21 million of taxpayers' money is a lot of money. On 8 May 2020, the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, wrote to the then Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, recommending "a mandatory regime of self-isolation for 14 days at a designated facility for all persons arriving into Ireland from overseas". That has been reiterated at least four times by NPHET since May. On 25 June, NPHET reiterated that advice with urgency. The Citywest Hotel was rented until 22 October at a cost of almost €21 million and as far as I know not one person is staying in it. What does the Minister of State have to say about that €21 million? Is any person staying in Citywest at the pleasure of the State? Have any people stayed in the hotel? Will anybody stay there between now and 22 October? What exactly is going on there at the moment? It must be remembered that it is costing the taxpayer €25,000 a day to rent this building. How many more days is it intended that we will continue to use it? I know that the Acting Chairman could use €25,000 a day for his constituents, as I could do for mine. We have many situations with regard to homeless people and many other types of people who could do with that money.

We now have a green list of 15 countries. Will there be a red list of countries from where people coming here will have to mandatorily self-isolate on arrival? If there are legal issues around that, could the legal advice on that be put on the record?

We have taken NPHET's advice on face masks and on traveller restrictions in our own country. Pubs remain closed, as I said already, and at the same time the Government is not willing to take NPHET's advice on quarantining, and the cost of quarantining because that is the context I am bringing to this. It is about money and what we are doing with money. The Acting Chairman knows more than I do because he is a very experienced politician that our job as politicians is to be careful and mindful of the taxpayers' money. I believe in my heart and soul that during this crisis a great deal of money is not being spent wisely or treated with the prudence the hard-working taxpayers of this country deserve. The reason we pay taxes in this country is because people work. Each one of the people here today - the ushers and everybody who is working in this system - is paying a considerable amount of money in tax to keep the country rolling but what I want is to see that money being spent properly and wisely, as I know does the Acting Chairman. I would like the Minister of State to address that. I am sorry if I overran my time.

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