Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

Hopefully we will not have to use or implement these powers.

Everyone in this House understands the legislation that we have passed over the past 20 months to tackle this constantly evolving virus, but Members would not be honest if they said they were not uncomfortable with some of the powers that have been provided, regardless of whether we opposed or sanctioned them. Those powers have been draconian in the face of a pandemic. People have lost their liberty and there have been travel restrictions. If we had told people two years ago that there would be these powers, they would have thought we had lost our minds, but the constant evolution of this virus has changed the nature of things, not only in Ireland, but across the world. The virus is on the counteroffensive at the moment in various jurisdictions and people have to act in whatever way they must.

One of the narratives of the past 20 months has been that of social solidarity across the world - people coming together and health systems being challenged by the virus. However, there has also been inequality in the vaccine roll-out globally. It is not abstract to ask whether the rich nations of the world, if they cannot at this stage give vaccines en masseto humanity, will ever do it. We are at war with a virus, and in such a war, all rules go out the door. All of humanity, regardless of where in the world, needs access to the vaccines. If we do not give the developing world access, the virus will evolve, as has happened in the case of the Omicron variant.

I was struck by what Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, said yesterday. He hit out at the travel apartheid in respect of some of the states in southern Africa. People living in those countries will immediately not be able to travel to Europe or some other jurisdictions. Countries have acted arbitrarily. People Before Profit has supported mandatory hotel quarantining, but we will not in this instance because of its arbitrary nature and the blanket travel ban. Mandatory hotel quarantining is not warranted on the basis that has been provided. It sends out the wrong message to countries, particularly South Africa where scientists identified the variant. A blanket travel ban was applied to those countries. What does it say to scientists in the developing world who identify variants if, just days after, their countries are punished? There are question marks over how wealthier countries have acted in this regard. That is why we will not support the Bill.

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