Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Regarding the calls for a hotline, where a person has a concern that the requirements of the regulations are not being complied with, he or she may communicate this via the HSE live helpline on 1800 700700. It should be noted that anybody doing so would have to press number 3, which is the other issues category. It might be useful to tailor the helpline to allow members of the public to report specific instances in a more targeted manner. This is something we will communicate to the Department of Health, as the HSE is under the remit of that Department. It will a subject of discussion between officials in the Department of Health, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and my Department.

Regarding what happens when there is non-compliance, the fines have been set out but, ultimately, there is the threat of closure. We are appealing to businesses that are not checking for certificates, because it is not fair to the other businesses and it is not fair for public health. For both reasons, to protect public health and to help the businesses that have been through such a tough time to keep their businesses open, everybody should abide by the rules.

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