Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Minister said that mandatory hotel quarantining has been a vital tool in providing us with protection. We had the dreadful experience in December and January when, if anyone had not heard it before, the new horror term "variant" emerged. We are now aware of the Kent variant, which has had a huge impact in Britain and throughout Ireland. Beyond that, we have the ongoing horror for people in India. That is why we need to maintain all the tools required in order to protect ourselves.

There is an acceptance that it took us some time to get the show on the road with mandatory hotel quarantine. It was mentioned by some colleagues earlier that we had a passenger locator form which was mandatory but there were issues as regards follow-up. We had voluntary PCR testing, which became mandatory at a later stage. We did not necessarily get all our ducks in a row when it came to international travel and other facilities. We need to make sure, as I stated yesterday, that we do not allow ourselves to fall behind in any way, shape or form.

We all welcome that we have the option of the EU digital green certificate. We need to ensure we are capable, competent and can operate without any difficulties with the technological aspects of it. We must be fit to move when we need to move. That is absolutely necessary. Many businesses and industries, particularly the aviation sector, want clarity, or as much as can be given. That is accepting that every decision that needs to be made needs to take fully into account health precautions because, first and foremost, we need to protect people.

The digital green certificate will play a significant role. Many Members have already said that we need to do due diligence with regard to antigen testing. Professor Mark Ferguson's report provides us with the tools and we have the option that such testing has already operated throughout Europe, particularly in Britain. There have been many pilot studies in this area but we need to put our own pilot studies into operation. The Oireachtas transport committee has spoken about running a pilot study - no pun intended - on international travel. We have the opportunity to do all the heavy lifting to ensure we are ready to move when we need to move.

The Minister shocked all of us earlier with the information on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and that we are not going to get the numbers anticipated, which was in and around 470,000 vaccines, before the end of June. We are now talking about somewhere between 60,000 and upwards of 250,000. I apologise if my figures are slightly wrong. Obviously, it will have a huge impact and it looks like we are not going to get close to the 82% target of at least one vaccination by the end of June. Johnson & Johnson was also providing the added bonus of full vaccination with a single jab.

On the debate on legislation regarding Covid restrictions we had yesterday, we need to have a conversation with the pharma companies and with the European Commission. When the European Commissioner, Thierry Breton, was put into operation, we did deal with some of the issues as regards AstraZeneca. I also recognise that there are still issues with the supply chain and AstraZeneca. We need everything done from the point of view of maximising supply. That needs to be done on a global basis, even if that involves a TRIPS waiver or any other facility. It means a conversation with the European Commission and then a conversation with the pharma companies from the point of view of dealing with this particular issue.

On this island, we also have to get the show in order as regards our conversations with the Northern Executive. No one wants to be hearing about difficulties in this area, particularly across the media. That needs to happen as soon as possible.

It goes without saying that the aviation industry needs clarity and, beyond that, it needs supports. Any supports given need to take into account the needs of the workers and ensure airlines do not take advantage of this situation. We need to provide security for workers and families and ensure connectivity on this island.

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