Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Lombard for his well-structured contribution. Undoubtedly, he has raised an important issue.

On level 5 restrictions, under Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19, the Government has agreed that the current public health restrictions will remain in place until 5 March 2021. This decision has been informed by the latest public health advice applying in the context of the current prevalence and the projected trajectory of the virus. Level 5 essentially means a complete halt to tourism. Paid accommodation services are only allowed to take guests travelling for permitted purposes, but not for social, recreational, cultural or tourism purposes, as the Senator said. In addition, the Garda Commissioner was very clear on last Friday's "The Late, Late Show" that anybody in breach of many of the restrictions is running the risk of acquiring a criminal record. That is how serious this is and how seriously we must take this pandemic.

Airbnb is one of a number of online accommodation sales platforms and contains a variety of accommodation types, including not only self-catering properties but also bed and breakfast accommodation, hotels, guest-houses and more. While neither the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media nor Fåilte Ireland has any role in the regulation of these online sales platforms, accommodation providers offering services, online and otherwise, must abide by the Covid-19 regulations in place. The regulations set out the legal requirements, including provisions, prohibitions and restrictions, for businesses operating in this jurisdiction, whether in the tourism or any other sector, and the rules in regard to travel from place of residence. Neither the Department nor Fáilte Ireland imposes any additional requirements over and above these regulations. However, to assist tourism businesses reopen and operate safely in the current climate, Fåilte Ireland has published a suite of sectoral guidelines for various strands of the overall tourism sector. These guidelines are designed to assist tourism businesses meet requirements in line with the plan for living with Covid-19, the working safely protocol and the latest Government public health advice. For the types of accommodation businesses using the Airbnb platform, the most relevant of these guidelines are probably those for self-catering properties, bed and breakfast accommodation, hotels and guest-houses.

In terms of monitoring and enforcing compliance with Covid-19 related regulations, I am aware that all relevant agencies with industry oversight and a relevant regulatory role are playing a part. In this regard, the regulators forum, chaired by the Department of the Taoiseach and including representatives from all key Departments, agencies and other bodies such as An Garda Síochána, is proving to be effective in dealing with any reports of non-compliant events and activities, through the relevant authorities. Although we have seen a welcome reduction in Covid-19 cases recently, the overall number of cases and, significantly, the numbers of those in hospital and ICU are still too high. For this reason, we must continue with all efforts to bring the virus under control by limiting mobility, social contacts and congregation as much as possible. I acknowledge that maintaining level 5 restrictions will place continued demands on society and business. Nonetheless, it is essential that we continue to hold firm and reduce cases in order to protect the vulnerable, protect our healthcare services, including maintaining non-Covid healthcare, and reopen schools at the earliest opportunity, which is a high priority.

I thank Senator Lombard for his contribution. We are under no illusions about the scale of the challenge and the many competing priorities facing the Government. However, I believe we can agree that it is right and proper that the primary focus of Government is on addressing the public health challenges as we battle this third wave. In tandem with this, through a variety of State supports in place we will be able to weather the current challenges and assist our economy to recover in due course.