Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This legislation puts forward yet another poorly-thought-out system. Throughout the pandemic, the Government has overly relied on the criminal law rather than public health guidance. At a meeting of the justice committee, representatives from the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, said it is a sense of solidarity and togetherness that makes people comply with health advice, not fines and imprisonment. There has been no training or guidance for the staff in the hospitality sector that are expected to enforce the use of the pass. A restaurant owner in south Kerry asked who came up with this scheme because neither he nor any of his colleagues were consulted or asked for their opinion. Numerous hospitality businesses have no idea how they will use the pass, and many have no desire to use it. These businesses have spent small fortunes reorganising and reopening. A publican in Listowel told me that like others he had invested in Covid-19 containment measures, and his staff have adapted with patience and a commitment to get through the pandemic together but he too feels that his voice is not being heard.

The new system has been described variously to me as chaotic, apartheid, unworkable, unenforceable and unfair. What consideration was given to keeping supports with a reduced capacity like last summer? We have just a cobbled together plan and the usual tweets and leaks. I appreciate that the Government is comfortable with a two-tier system. The over-60s are waiting for their second vaccination and many people are unable to avail of a vaccine. They struggled through the pandemic. They do not deserve to be excluded from going for a meal. Many worry about what is next in a two-tier Ireland. Will the system be introduced in libraries, museums or shops? Young people will not be able to go to a bar or restaurant with their friends. They sacrificed personal freedoms and their mental health. They feel discriminated against.

What will it be next? Will some businesses be excluded with only an hour's notice? I was contacted by Kerry businesses, Pavilion Amusements in Ballybunion and Bowling Buddies in Tralee. They reopened after significant planning and investment but then were visited by gardaí who said they had to close them down because the regulations and legislation had changed again. Light-touch regulation will only increase the unenforceability of the legislation. We are certainly not all in this together.

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