Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute briefly on this legislation. I am starting from the position that I believe that everyone in the House, including the members of the Government, all of the outside bodies, such as NPHET and the National Immunisation Advisory Committee, NIAC, and departmental officials are endeavouring to do their best, but that does not mean that we are infallible. Despite our best efforts, this virus has been challenging, not just for us, but globally, and the responses we have had to take at various times have needed to change. The messaging around changing advices is not widely appreciated, but it would be equally to the detriment of public health if we did not change advices as the circumstances around the virus changed. While people are undoubtedly depressed with the recent developments, it is incumbent on us to keep public health to the fore and to support measures that are clearly focused in that regard. Without doubt, the first and foremost duty of the Government is protecting public health.

Having made the point that none of us is infallible, I wish to raise a specific issue or two with the Minister concerning the most recent decisions in particular. International travel had resumed and people were looking forward to it, but there are a cohort of people who are out of the country and have been caught mid-stream by the changing advices. I understand that the regulations are yet to be finalised, but surely there is a case to be made for people who departed the country for a week's holidays or a fortnight's holidays and are now attempting to return to be exempted from those regulations, as they departed in good faith under a set of circumstances and regulations that changed while they were abroad. That is not an unreasonable request, and whether it can be accommodated within the regulations that are being drawn up is worth considering.

In the language used to communicate the changes as regards people returning from abroad - I am not referring to people who are returning from southern African countries that are now on a red list, but from the UK, EU countries and elsewhere - there is a requirement for a clear PCR test or a "professionally administered antigen test", which I believe is the term. As much as I can, I have tried to navigate Government websites to find out what a "professionally administered antigen test" is. If someone is in Heathrow, Orly, Schiphol or Frankfurt and is trying to get back into the country, who will administer an approved antigen test? At this short notice, does the Government already have an approved list of professional antigen testers that my constituents or I can access as they seek to return to Ireland? As I understand it, a self-administered antigen test is not fit for purpose. In his reply, the Minister might address what an approved antigen test is, who administers it and whether there is a list. Would it be done in a Boots pharmacy in Heathrow Airport or would people have to go to the Harley Street Clinic in London? Who will administer the approved tests in the various jurisdictions from which people will be flying? This is a reasonable question. This provision should also only be applied to people who have departed the country in full knowledge of what the regulations are.

I am not convinced by another change. I anticipate that, in the coming weeks, there will be large numbers of people who have planned their return home for Christmas from far away places only to be confronted at transit airports with the reality of failing PCR or antigen tests. The floor of this Chamber will be dominated by Deputies representing their constituents who are in Heathrow, Amsterdam or Frankfurt having tried to come home from New York, Sydney, Ontario or wherever. Since they will not have clear tests, they will by regulation and by decision of this Government be forced to stay out of this country for Christmas. That is undesirable and I am not convinced that it is a proportionate response. Will the Minister address this issue when replying to the debate?

In the context of the broader challenge we face, I have twice attempted to raise another challenge with the Minister by way of parliamentary question.

I refer to the challenge facing service providers, in particular in the disability area, of reopening services currently because of associated issues to do with the Covid challenge. One service provider said to me recently that for the first time in a while, money was not the issue in terms of their endeavours to reopen, but staff availability was. I want the Minister to consider that in terms of the other side of coin. I refer to people who have been locked out of disability services. I want to focus in particular on disability services in the context of this issue and I hope the Minister can reply to it. People have been locked out of disability services for 18 to 20 months. I can give the Minister an example from my constituency of an elderly gentleman who looks after his adult daughter. He is farming in rural Ireland. The man, who was in a distressed state, said his daughter is quite agitated and that she had not attended a service in almost 20 months. He must work the land, and with the best intention in the world, while he is out, he locks the door when he leaves the house and leaves his adult daughter alone in it. I am all in favour of HIQA standards. HIQA has been critical to raising the standards and quality of care.

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