Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, the Taoiseach announced what amounted to an indefinite postponement of the reopening of indoor hospitality. At this stage, there is no clear plan or new date for when that sector will open. Some 24 hours later, there are still many unanswered questions. While I accept that this is a challenging situation, the public should be entitled to basic information on the background to the shocking announcement the Taoiseach made yesterday. I would very much appreciate him answering some of my questions. I am posing these questions not just for me or other Members in the House but for the many thousands of people whose livelihoods depend on this extremely important sector, many of whom have not been able to open their doors or return to work in 16 months.

On the Monday before last, 21 June, the Chief Medical Officer, CMO, announced that the Delta variant accounted for 20% of Covid-19 cases reported in the previous week. He stated that the figures demonstrated "a concerning increase in transmission of the Delta variant". Did he raise these concerns about the proposed reopening of hospitality with anyone in the Government at that point or at any point this week? The Government seemed to be briefing that there was likely to be a postponement of that reopening. What action has been taken in that regard and when did the CMO alert the Government to this matter?

In the CMO's letter to the Minister for Health published yesterday, he referred to the revised national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, advice that those under 40 should have the option to receive either an AstraZeneca or Janssen vaccine but it is unclear if that advice was factored into the modelling. Will the Taoiseach confirm whether the modelling published by NPHET incorporates the revised vaccination programme?

The Tánaiste discussed this matter on the radio earlier. I made the point that the Government has highlighted the minority of EU countries that operate a Covid-19 pass for indoor services. Does the Taoiseach accept that these countries planned for this system in advance and that he majority facilitate the use of PCR and antigen testing in order that they do not discriminate against unvaccinated people, who are predominantly younger people? In that regard, how can the Government stand over the fact that unvaccinated younger people will be working in bars and restaurants where they will be unable to sit down for a meal or a drink? The Tánaiste said this morning that retail workers are not vaccinated. That is true, but they are not banned from entering shops.

What work has been done on this? When does the Government expect to be in a position to have legislation ready for this new plan? How long is it likely to take to finalise it?

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