Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for her questions. I am looking to see what led to this 7% level. I do not believe it is acceptable. Deputy Shortall also believes it is unacceptable. There are several things happening. The number of people who are going to be tasked with following up on this is going to be significantly increased. It is not going to be the Department of Health but the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. That was what was agreed by the Government earlier this week.

What will help with that is the electronic form. There is a huge amount of work going on in the background to put out a form on an electronic basis. It is already mandatory. Everybody who comes in has to fill it in by law. People are going to be asked to fill it in before they travel. My understanding it will be two days before they travel.

I spoke to the WHO exactly on these issues several days ago. It stated the single most important thing in terms of people coming into one's country is not quarantine or block-booking hotels but being able to contact people coming in and knowing where they are. That is where the focus is going to be. We are really working hard to get this electronic form into place. A team is being set up in the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to make sure that the people who come into the country are called. That is what is happening on the issue. I agree with the Deputy that it needs to be better. A 7% call rate is not acceptable.

With regard to disability services, I cannot give the Deputy a definitive answer right now. It is additional funding that, as she will understand, has to be agreed by the Government. What I can tell her is that I absolutely stand over what I said when in opposition. I did not agree with the cut pre-Covid. I did not believe it was the right thing to do, regardless of Covid. I imagine I am on the record on that and I stand over that. It certainly is not the thing to be doing with all the additional strains the disability services have gone through.

I have asked that the case the Deputy raised is looked into. We were discussing it here last night and we are here this morning. I do not have an answer for the Deputy but I will get back to her about that. My understanding is that it should not be happening. I will be seeking agreement that the proposed cut of 1%, given everything that is going on, is not applied.

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