Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this legislation. From listening to the debate for the past hour or so, I sense a real consensus among all of us in this House to seek to move forward together. That consensus reflects the skill of the Minister and her Department in listening to the public, co-operating with Members and taking on board views from Deputies of different parties and none to arrive at the best plan to move us forward. The legislation is a credit to the Minister and her Department because it is proportionate, timely and necessary.

In regard to the Garda powers, there also seems to be a consensus in the House that it is the best approach that members of the Garda should first engage, educate and encourage, with enforcement being the very last step. We are all agreed that only a very small number of publicans are likely to find themselves in that position. It is a proportionate response from the Minister that a Garda superintendent will have the power to shut a premises for one day, after which an application must be made to the courts to enforce any further period of closure. It is important to note that those court hearings will be held in public. In the worst-case scenario, where a publican has not taken appropriate action after an initial closure and the Garda is of the view that a longer closure is required, the publicity that would ensue for any such publican will be salutary in the extreme. I welcome that provision in the legislation.

I also welcome the progress that is happening concurrent with this Bill to reopen our schools. I welcome the fact that lots more people are returning to work and many more of us are working from our homes instead of offices. There are huge changes happening in our society as a result of the Covid crisis. We must never forget the victims of Covid, including the 1,778 people who died in our country. Of those, 92% were aged over 65 and most of them had significant underlying conditions. The Government has always acted on the basis of the medical and public health advice from NPHET and in the awareness that ignoring that public health advice could leave us facing a holocaust. Internationally, 26 million cases of Covid have been diagnosed. There have been more than 864,000 deaths from the virus and more than 18 million people have recovered from it. It is a huge world problem and as we wait for the vaccine we hope is coming very soon, we must act to reduce its impact. This legislation is very helpful in that regard.

Before concluding, I wish to refer to what happened in Dealgan House nursing home in County Louth. It was an appalling vista where 23 people died while most of the staff, unfortunately, were not present. People were not looked after there. They were not fed, clothed or changed. More would have died, were it not for the prompt action of the HSE in going in there. When I reflect on what happened in Kilbrew nursing home in County Meath, where a man and his stepson both died in the most appalling and shameful circumstances, I am reminded of why we must listen to public health advice. We must strengthen the legal powers that serve to enforce higher standards in nursing homes. It also is vital that HIQA be given more powers.

The excellent legislation before us this evening represents a job well done by the Minister.

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