Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

These exceptional powers the Government has introduced have many people in Kerry, especially youngsters, very upset with those powers, which are being dictated in respect of sports for youngsters. We had Sport Ireland come out late last week saying children and youngsters attending all basketball playing would have to produce vaccine passports. This is very wrong in places like Rathmore, Gneevgullia, Killarney, Firies and all the various places where all the youngsters and all the clubs had paid their membership, and it was only after that that Sport Ireland came out and said what it said. In reality, volunteers are being asked to demand that youngsters attending events produce vaccine passports. We have to remember that under-12s have not been vaccinated at all yet. It is very unfair. The whole basketball season has been thrown into mayhem, and I ask the Minister and the Government to deal with this in an honourable way. It is not fair to ask volunteers to demand vaccine passports of youngsters before they are allowed in to play basketball.

Why did they not do that in the first place before the clubs registered? Why did they not ask for that and spell out what was going to be demanded rather than doing it when the money had been collected by Sport Ireland? That is very unfair to the youngsters of Rathmore, Gneevgullia, Killarney, Tralee and all of Kerry.

See this speech in context