Elisha McCallion (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Before I begin, I wish to offer my party's thanks to the many thousands of health workers who have been working tirelessly for the past number of months. I have spoken to a number of people in recent weeks, and there is no doubt that they are stretched beyond the call of duty. Our thanks and appreciation continue to go to everyone across all levels of the health service.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, and much like many other countries throughout the world, our society has been in a state of emergency for many reasons. This has had an adverse effect on the mental health and emotional well-being of the people of this nation and further afield. Much was uncertain at the beginning of the emergency and there is still a great deal of fear. Indeed, the virus has caused unprecedented levels of fear and anxiety among our communities. Generally speaking, people of all ages and gender have responded well to the pandemic. They have correctly played their part in being responsible and responding positively to the measures taken by the Government in Dublin and the Government in Belfast. It has not been easy for them to do so. No one should underestimate the stress and strain on families and individuals living in the highly restricted set of circumstances required to live with the virus until there is a vaccine. Therefore, it is important that any emergency measure be clearly time limited and subject to review by the Government on a credible ongoing basis.

We supported the emergency legislation seven months ago because it was understandable. There were many unknowns and a great deal of panic and we did not have enough information on the virus. The legislation gave the Minister for Health sweeping discretionary powers. This extraordinary situation was an immediate and necessary response at the time. However, it is for this House and the Lower House, not individual Ministers, to legislate day-to-day for the people. For that reason, Sinn Féin is proposing an amendment to reduce the length of time until the review of the emergency legislation from June 2021 to February. We believe firmly that it is prudent to do so.

This morning, my party colleague, Deputy Cullinane, spoke about the need for the Government to work better with us, the Opposition. I reiterate that point. Due to the nature of the decision-making process that was given to the Minister and his Department by the emergency legislation, we have found ourselves being asked to support Government decisions without having relevant information in advance or the time to scrutinise same. We cannot allow this practice to continue. As legislators, we need to be able to scrutinise properly the Minister and the Department on their many significant decisions that are having a major impact on workers, families and businesses.

It has been very difficult to get any information from the Minister, the Department or the HSE on all-Ireland co-operation. It is prudent that the Government in Dublin and the Government in Belfast regularly review together all aspects of managing the impact of the virus, although not just in the area of health, crucial though that is to the preservation of life and health. In that regard, I will raise the importance of this country being effectively treated as one unit when it comes to the measures needed to control and combat the virus. The full resources of both Governments must be aligned and co-ordinated to ensure that there is no area across the island where the virus is free to wreak havoc on people.

I wish to discuss the system of contact tracing in Border constituencies. I have been concerned for some time that the testing and tracing systems here and in the North are falling short of what is required to control the virus in those constituencies. Several times in recent months, I have asked questions in the Seanad and written to the Minister for Health in Dublin and the Minister of Health in Belfast asking for information about their respective systems of testing and tracing.To this day, I have not received relevant information from either jurisdiction, which gives me any comfort to suggest that there is anywhere near enough sharing of information that allows appropriate contact tracing for those of us who live in Border constituencies and cross the Border daily.

This is absolutely unacceptable. We want to help the Minister in trying to deal with the virus, but he needs to give us the tools and information we need in order to do our job. We cannot continue to work in the manner in which we have been doing with his Government for the past number of months, lacking in information and being unable to scrutinise legislation properly. It is with that in mind that I will press the two amendments moved by our party.