Johnny Mythen (Wexford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Labour Party for tabling this motion. It covers a comprehensive number of detailed issues, many of which have been spoken about before in this House. Various proposals have already been discussed. I would like to focus on a few issues. This motion calls for student nurses to be paid. This is of the utmost necessity. What is needed is a sense of urgency to protect the well-being of all front-line workers, financially and in every other way possible. I spoke on the Sinn Féin motion calling for pay for student nurses and midwives two weeks ago. Notably, the Government did not oppose it. What has happened since then? There cannot be any more posturing or delays. It is wrong to place student nurses on the front line to work in this pandemic and not pay them for such a high risk. Knowing the conditions they face, it is reprehensible when a small financial gesture could at least relieve some of their financial pressures.

I recently tabled parliamentary questions on PPE for front-line staff. In particular, I asked about access to and the requirement for the FFP2 masks that the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation is calling for. I ask the Minister to give his response today or to kindly revert to me. This is an urgent matter and addressing it would have a genuine impact on transmission levels in hospitals. When a leading medical union is calling for practical, sensible measures, it should be accommodated.

This motion also touches on the mandatory quarantine measures. This is an issue in respect of which the Government has got it wrong. Our current Covid-19 restrictions on international travel are, by definition, impossible to implement. The only way to ensure and enforce quarantine requirements is with a mandatory hotel quarantine regime, with exemptions for essential travel. The same quarantine requirements that apply at Dublin Airport should apply at Belfast International Airport. There is no logical reason real-time sharing of incoming passenger data cannot be agreed to for the common good. The public is ahead of the Government again on this. When the Government is asking people to make a sacrifice and stay inside, and when they have practically been in lockdown since last March, it is reasonable for people to expect the Government to be able to get over the logistical challenges and implement a proper quarantine regime of the kind that has been introduced seamlessly in other jurisdictions.

This brings me on to my final point, which is the absolute importance of a common, beneficial approach to an all-Ireland alliance, based on saving lives and eradicating the virus. The first task at hand is to establish which Minister and Department will take responsibility for driving this approach. An all-Ireland approach needs to be mindful and recognise cross-border communities. There are people who are elected to and serve in these Houses who cross the so-called Border to do their work and an all-Ireland strategy needs to be cognisant of that. I urge colleagues to listen and take on board some of the contributions this morning and, most importantly, to listen to the people of this country who have sacrificed so much and deserve far better than the mismanagement and drip-feed communications they are getting from the Government.

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