Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Like Deputy Calleary, I was listening to the debate outside the Chamber. I was listening and reflecting on what different Deputies were saying. One phrase the Minister used at the outset of the debate was that not everybody will be happy with this legislation. That certainly seems to be the case. Some people do not think it goes far enough. Others think perhaps that it goes too far. I listened with amusement then to Members from one particular party on the left standing up, one by one, criticising people being unable to attend communions, parties and funerals. That very same party, as is well documented, attended a funeral in the North not so long ago and there was no question of fines, isolation or quarantine afterwards. It is quite hypocritical that they stand up, one by one, and throw those accusations when they themselves have not been seen to be overly compliant with regulations.

Returning to the Bill, for some people it will not go far enough but I believe it is welcome. I believe it gives us the necessary protection from people travelling into the State in terms of the possible spread of the virus but it also proposes to institute a quarantine regime that is appropriate and commensurate to the challenges posed by the virus.

I believe that what the Minister is proposing will complement the existing regulations around quarantine. I note that there are 18 additional countries on the category 2 list, which now comprises of 20 countries which are subject to stricter quarantine requirements. It goes without saying that the prevalence of the virus globally, its ability to reinvent itself as a different and sometimes deadlier strain, and its transmissibility require that the list of category 2 states needs to be constantly under review. Can the Minister elaborate on precisely what the qualifying criteria for such a state on that list is? It would give us some reassurance if the Minister could elaborate on that in his summation.

I note that the responsibility for designation of appropriate facilities falls to the Minister once he is satisfied that the facility is suitable and of sufficient quality to meet the health and welfare needs of those quarantining. I am sure the Minister is aware of the public inquiry in Australia in relation to difficulties with their quarantine programme. In fact, I can see that in the Bill the Minister has tightened up on issues such as the use of cleaners in facilities and how people here will be responsible for cleaning in their own rooms. Following on from that, I believe poor ventilation in rooms was another contributing factor to the poor performance in the Howard Springs complex near Darwin. I hope that the designation of such facilities here is thorough and that we learn from Australia's failings. My concern lies with the agreement the Minister or the HSE might have with these approved persons. Is there a template devised by the Department around the security of these facilities, provision around meals and other routine tasks in the facilities, the provision of training to staff, the use of personal protective equipment, PPE, etc.? These are some of the issues surrounding the problems referred to earlier in Australia and if the Minister could provide some detail in response to the requirements placed on these approved facilities, their obligations to those staffing these facilities etc. it might give a bit of reassurance to the public at large.

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