Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister to the Seanad. Many of us in this House called last summer and autumn for action on the question of hotel quarantine or supported quarantine measures. When we talk about zero Covid being a fantasy, we should bear in mind that we were down to the very low double figures at that point. Zero Covid was in sight in Ireland at that time. It may well seem very far out of reach now but we were at that point. There had been calls for action on that throughout the summer, and during our many debates in the autumn.In that context, it is frustrating that the Government put so much energy into refusing debate on this issue and that now we are presented with all Stages of a Bill at once. It is not good enough. It was one thing in June and July in a newly formed Seanad for all Stages of Bills to be pushed through because it was an emergency but practically a year later to have all Stages of legislation being taken at once is not good enough. It is no longer okay. When that happens, mistakes are made. None of us thinks this is a simple or a magic bullet solution. We all know this is an incredibly complex area and we need the minds of all Oireachtas Members to be applied to make sure we produce good and careful legislation in this area.

I note a smaller aspect of transport but one which is of immense importance to people. When the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage brought forward legislation that tied eviction protection to within a 5 km radius, we asked him to give himself the permission to extend it so that people would be protected from eviction at a 10 km or 20 km radius. However, there was no time to take on board those amendments. These are the kinds of mistakes we are making again and again.

Like many other Members of the House, I will be proposing a more extensive approach to mandatory quarantine and I will be supporting amendments from others. My amendment, which is perhaps a more moderate one, is to ensure that at the least there is consistency when applying these criteria. We hear of xenophobia but it seems very strange to look at a list that is almost entirely made up of countries from the global south when, for example, we know the United States has all the Covid variants and, indeed, new variants such as B1427-B1429. We need to be consistent when applying criteria. We need to be very careful there is no element of favouritism or xenophobia in terms of which countries are designated or not. A clear measure would be to have a wider designation. At a minimum, there needs to be clear criteria.

I am going to talk about all those who are not quarantining, because it is the missing piece. If the Minister, as is likely the case, does not accept amendments put forward today to extend hotel quarantine to all, what will be done in respect of the others? What has been done in terms of non-essential travel overseas? Are we even checking if people have two-week return dates on their flights? Are there business people, as we have heard, who have a one-week return date, which means they clearly do not intend to quarantine? In this debate, everyone has spoken about mandatory quarantine and quarantine. Quarantine is meant to happen already for everyone who comes into the State. What we are talking about here is mandatory hotel quarantine. The fact that people say it is disruptive indicates that there seems to be some understanding that people do not really need to quarantine. That is not good enough. What are the follow-ups in regard to everyone who comes in? What checks in place five days later? How do we check people's travel plans? We need more information on that.

I have a number of concerns in relation to some provisions of this Bill which should have been addressed. I am concerned the fines will have a disproportionate impact on those of a certain socioeconomic background. If one were a wealthy person, the difference between €2,000 and €4,000 might not be considered much. If a person is not wealthy, a €4,000 fine could be a quarter of his or her annual income. We are in a situation where these fines could have a disproportionate impact on those with lower incomes. This issue needs to be looked at. I tried to put forward an amendment to give the Minister the power to adapt to those measures and adjust the costs to reflect issues such as an inability to pay. We do not want a situation where someone is avoiding quarantine because he or she is afraid of the cost.

International protection is a concern. We need to make sure the same high standards of quarantine and protection are given to everyone who arrives in this State. Concerns have been expressed by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, ICCL, in regard to ensuring proper provisions around the conditions in quarantine situations. There are health conditions which are vital in terms of ventilation and access to prescriptions, medicines and to dietary choice. There are a number of really key issues. That is why I wish we were having this debate in a proper way, where we could refine the essentials that are needed in terms of good quality and safe human-rights compliant measures in hotel quarantines. I wish we had done more on that and had more time for it.

I have other points which I will come to over the course of the debate. I regret we will not have the opportunity to tease them out in a positive way.My last point addresses my core issue. Let us ensure this House gets a report a month before an extension and that it is given adequate time, so that each three-month extension, if there are extensions, is informed by learning from how it has been applied and we do not continue to make the same mistakes.