Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Thankfully the incidence of Covid-19 is on the decrease in this country and we have many people to thank for that, from the gallant efforts of our front-line workers to the general public, the vast majority of whom have been adhering to the strict guidelines that have been laid down. We must always ask ourselves how we can do better. We had much debate this week about the zero Covid strategy, which NPHET has ruled out as not being practical for this country. We also had some talk about sealing the Border with Northern Ireland. For someone who comes from a Border county, the notion of sealing the Border is totally impractical. It is almost 300 miles in length, with almost 300 crossing points. Some 209 of those crossing points are major roads. The idea that one can seal the Border is a non-runner as far as I am concerned.That does not mean that we should not be looking at areas where we can improve on things. One of the areas where we need improvement is in North-South co-operation. The common enemy here is Covid-19. A member of An Garda Síochána doing a checkpoint in Emyvale, or indeed in Lifford, should have the power to deal with whomever is not adhering to the restrictions. The same should apply to a PSNI officer in the North, when someone from the South is not adhering to restrictions. They should be able to deal with it. There is co-operation there already and information is being shared. I would like to see that developed so that people who are flouting the law can be dealt with, regardless of which police force does so, or what part of the country they are in. I ask that the Leader raises the matter with the Minister for Justice.

The other issue that I would like to raise is one that has caused me great disappointment. It concerns statistics that were released by the head of the community healthcare organisation, CHO, 1, showing the number of Covid tests being done in each county. The statistics also illustrate the number of people who do not turn up for Covid tests. In Monaghan, for example, this figure was as high as 11%; in Donegal it was in excess of 10%; and in Sligo, for some reason, it was greater than 20%. That is very disappointing. We need to know why those people are not turning up. Is it because they have no transport? Is there a childcare issue? Is it because they are afraid they cannot get off work? We need to know the reasons behind the non-attendance. By not turning up, those people could be infecting other people - perhaps with devastating consequences. It is also a waste of resources to have people standing by and waiting for people to attend an appointment, who do not show up. It is a serious issue. I would be grateful if the Leader would bring it to the attention of the Minister for Health.