Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I endorse all of what was just said by Deputy Connolly, in particular her final comment. We are always being told to listen to the medical experts. The medical experts have been very clear that vaccines do offer great hope in the future, but they do not offer a silver bullet now. We need to have a lot of other measures in place and to continue to look at what we need to do now. I am slightly perplexed by the criticisms of this motion. I thank Deputy Nolan and her colleagues in the Rural Independent Group for bringing forward this motion, which I am happy to support. I do not think it is an either-or situation and I do not think anybody is suggesting that it is. Measures need to be taken now. We need to look at what we can do now to mitigate further deterioration of the situation.

I am perplexed by the reluctance to look at antigen testing. I am not suggesting, and never have, that antigen testing is a silver bullet or a panacea, but it could, and should in my view, be looked at as a great assistance. People are going to socialise more at Christmas, more than we would like and, perhaps, more than they should. I do not understand the logic of not providing people with antigen tests so that they can test themselves to see if they pose a risk. The only positive reason that I have heard against this is that people will behave recklessly if they test negative. The logic for the refusal to distribute or legalise condoms in Ireland in response to sexually transmitted diseases was that people would behave promiscuously. That argument failed a long time ago, yet that same logic is being deployed now against antigen testing.

I was appalled to read in the newspapers that the owner of a bar who was carrying out antigen testing was arrested by An Garda Síochána. I wish it to be very clear that I am not criticising An Garda Síochána for enforcing the laws that this House facilitated the Government in making, which are idiotic laws. I am criticising the laws and not the enforcement of them by An Garda Síochána. It is the duty of An Garda Síochána to enforce the laws of this State. Furthermore, bars in Dublin which provide so-called substantial meals have offered not to serve the meals where people make a charitable donation instead, but they are being told they have to serve the meals. I ask the Minister of State to explain, please, how it is safe to allow only a small proportion of bars in this country to open when this means those bars will be more crowded. Will she please explain to me the logic that because there are kitchens in those bars and properly accredited chefs - it is important that chefs are properly accredited and that there are standards - that somehow provides safety from the transmission of Covid? I accept it may provide safety from food poisoning. These bars have kitchens from which food is served that people do not eat and so it is thrown in the bin yet the people cannot make a donation in lieuof it and bar owners who want to carry out testing to make sure that everybody within them is safe to the greatest extent possible are being arrested. It is idiotic. It is asinine. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. The substantial meal as a response came from the former Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, last July. It is straight out of "Darby O'Gill and the Little People" to believe that tourists would come to Ireland and be safe from Covid if they ate a substantial meal. It is idiotic and it will not work. We need to look at more scientific measures, such as antigen testing.

On nursing homes, we are told that some studies are being carried out on antigen testing. I do not understand the antipathy to antigen testing in the Irish health system. I do know there are vested interests in NPHET, who should not be there because it undermines the role of NPHET. If I had a relative in a nursing home, I would undergo daily testing in order that I could visit him or her. The Government response is that it is going to look at it and we should not worry ourselves about it. Meanwhile, the people in the nursing home are getting only visitor per week, which is inadequate and inhumane.

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