Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

On Tuesday, I was glad to see that the Tánaiste agreed with my view when a spokesperson said on his behalf that, if the travel advice for countries on the green list was not different to the advice relating to other countries, we would be better off not having a green list at all. Fair play to the Tánaiste. On Tuesday night, however, the Government agreed the opposite. It gave a green light to go and then said "Do not go". The advice from the Government remains not to travel except in essential circumstances.

Last night, Ryanair sent a notification to thousands of people across the State telling them that they had the green light to fly to Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta and more and offering them cheap flights. Has the Tánaiste received that notification? Maybe he also received it. We are used to ridiculous announcements from Ryanair, but we are discussing public health. This is not a gimmick. Yesterday, a Minister was forced to admit that the issue of the green list was confusing. That is a result of Government policy.

Does the Tánaiste share my concern that Ryanair is using the green list to encourage people to fly to the destinations on it? What action, if any, can the Government take?

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