Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to examine the Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Bill 2021, which will enable the reopening of indoor hospitality and amend the mandatory hotel quarantine regulations. I am very uneasy about introducing domestic vaccination certificates on principle and also on logistical grounds. It is not something I would normally ever consider supporting. However, we find ourselves in an incredibly challenging position.

The delay in reopening indoor hospitality was very disappointing. Many of these businesses have been closed for almost 500 days. I ask Deputies, particularly those who spoke before me today, to cast their minds back to when the easing of restrictions was announced. There was utter shock across the nation, particularly in the indoor hospitality sector. In the past week, business owners have contacted me asking for an opportunity to reopen safely as soon as possible.

They want a chance to trade, particularly over the busy summer months. We have heard opposition to the proposal from many Deputies in the House, much of it is reasonable, but none has outlined a detailed proposal or alternative that would see hospitality safely reopen during the summer.

I will support this emergency Bill if two important clauses are included, which I believe they are. There must be a sunset clause, which is provided for at three months, and the provisions must end as soon as possible, which we are told will be October. There must also be provision for testing, antigen and PCR, and it must be operationalised as soon as possible. On this basis, I will support the legislation to give hospitality a chance to reopen over the summer.

The rhetoric from some Deputies this afternoon about leaving indoor hospitality closed until September, October or some unknown point is extremely unfair. The sector deserves a chance to reopen. The Deputies in question fail to recognise that we are entering a new phase of the pandemic. Almost 60% of people are now fully vaccinated. We have spoken about this many times in the House in recent weeks. More than 70% of people have received at least one jab. Almost all those aged between 60 and 69 will be fully vaccinated by the end of this week. Those aged between 18 and 29 years will have the option to register for an AstraZeneca vaccination from this week, in addition to access to the Janssen vaccine from their pharmacies.

Attempts to conjure up a “Downton Abbey” type scenario and sow social division are very unfair and worrying. The Government listened and brought forward access to vaccinations for everybody over the past weeks. Young people have embraced this, as is evident in the enormous demand for the Janssen vaccine. I encourage the Minister for Health to go further and consider opening pop-up and walk-in vaccination centres in larger towns and cities to allow everyone who wishes to avail of a vaccination to do so.

I note the Bill also proposes to make a number of changes to the mandatory hotel quarantine regime to streamline the regulations and deal with a number of anomalies. These changes are welcome. Many have been called for by Deputies in the House and they should also be supported.

I will support this legislation on the basis that it gives hospitality a chance to reopen. It is on a limited basis that we do so. We have heard some Deputies call for everything to be reopened but this ignores the associated risks. Others propose to leave society and hospitality closed for months by taking a wait-and-see approach. That is unacceptable and it is not what the industry has looked for. We must continue the process of reopening society.

We said from as early as last March that it would be much easier to close down sectors than to reopen them. It is important that we also reflect on that element. We knew we would be in this position and that there would be challenges. I accept this is not a perfect situation but it is one that the hospitality sector have discussed at length with the Government with regard to how we might proceed with reopening. We must continue that process of reopening society.

Is this Bill perfect? No. We accept that and it has been said many times. Are there issues with it? Yes, but the sunset clause means the legislation must come back to the Oireachtas if it is to be extended. I hope that when we get to October, we will be in a different position. I believe everyone in the House is agreed that we will be at a different point in October. Everybody wants that. We are all coming from a good place on this, which is imperative for all of us. If we were not seeking to reopen indoor hospitality with this Bill, the Deputies criticising these proposals would be castigating the Government for not doing enough for the sector. The sector has spoken and has been listened to. Its decision is to reopen as soon as possible using this method. A practical proposal to move the situation forward is before us. On that basis, I support the Bill.

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