Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am concerned that Ireland, as a member of the UN Security Council, needs to do more to address the blockages with regard to intellectual property to ensure we see a push to scale up production. Those issues really matter. The slow roll-out of the vaccine globally is not the solution. The solutions we have are prevention, precaution and protective measures, which are what these amendments are about. There are some precautionary measures in the Bill but I am concerned that they will not work as they should because they are limited and contain very large loopholes. As a result, people will appear in the media stating that travel bans or limits do not work. Our objective is not a travel ban but to raise the bar on travel so that it comes at a cost, not only to society but also to individuals in that they must consider the cost to themselves financially but also in planning the time.

I hope that when the Minister responds he will not simply push back, as he has and I know he will, on the blanket application of mandatory hotel quarantine, as proposed by the Labour Party and Sinn Féin. I will support their proposals, although I believe my amendment, which is somewhat more moderate, is a good compromise. The Senators make a very strong case. If the Minister rejects that case, the onus is on him to prove that there is real enforcement of all the other measures. Can we prove that we are enforcing the mandatory quarantine which the Minister says exists for every person, irrespective of whether he or she is from a designated country?

What measures are being taken around essential travel? We hear a great deal about tourism and holidays. I am concerned about business travel, people who have a meeting two or three days after their arrival and then leave a week later. What measures are being taken in respect of those people? A Government Minister, perhaps the Tánaiste, gave the example of a meeting in London. What is being done with regard to meetings and that kind of travel? Cheltenham was mentioned. What exactly will we do ensure there is no Cheltenham spike, as happened last year. This time last year, many of us called for restrictions on international travel to avoid events such as Cheltenham having a negative impact in Ireland.

My amendments in this group, amendments Nos. 10 and 11, represent a midpoint where we will have full application of hotel quarantine, which is a good idea, to ensure we do everything we can to create a seal. This will allow us to address and aggressively track and trace cases of Covid-19 and also ensure that large areas of the country are protected from Covid-19.The 5 km and 20 km limits are ironic because those who arrive at our airports and ports are not limited but can travel to any part of the country. At a minimum it would address this.

My amendments seem to recognise the concerns the Minister has raised in respect of EU law. They also try to ensure we will have an equity of the application of criteria. They suggest that where designations are being made under the sections as outlined by the Minister in respect of variants and Covid risk levels, those health criteria and considerations should be equitably applied in respect of all other non-EU countries and territories with the exception of Northern Ireland.

I recognise there may be places where EU responses need to be collectively addressed and there may be EU-wide measures in respect of the restrictions on motion and the measures to enforce the restrictions on movement. I have tried to leave this space in the legislation while also pressing the Minister to ensure we have equitable application because there is a concern. It does not really ring true that we would have predominantly countries from the global south on the list and other countries, such as the United States, are very prominently not on the list at present. There is fear at the moment because of incredibly high instances of Covid-19 in the United States. Just yesterday, it had 50,925 new cases and it has one of the highest death rates in the world. It also has the B117 and B1351 variants and the P1 variant. As I already mentioned, the B1427 and B1429 variants are particularly prevalent on the west coast of the United States.

The legislation would seem to suggest the designated country factors would certainly apply to the United States. This is the concern. Will there be equitable application? Will it simply produce a list of countries that we do not mind offending or that are somehow on our diplomatic list? It looks like this at present and it is a concern. I understand why some of the countries are there but there are very clear gaps with regard to what countries are being designated at present. What assurances can the Minister give us that this will be addressed? It really should not be the case.

There is another factor, which is, of course, major international hubs. People do not simply travel directly from a country. In fact, many of the countries on the list do not have direct flights to Ireland. What are the measures in respect of people travelling for great lengths of time through major international air hubs where people come from every country? I am concerned that this is the type of loophole that will lead to the legislation not being as successful as it should be and, as a result, in a couple of months' time we will have people pushing back and saying we should not have restrictions on air travel because it does not make a difference. This is my concern and I hope the Minister can address it.

I also hope the Minister will consider accepting my amendment in this regard. If he will not accept it in its letter, I hope he will be able to convey to me how he hopes to apply it in spirit. I also hope the Minister might consider my other amendment, which makes reference to Covid-19 or any variant thereof. It is just to be very clear on this. Perhaps the Minister will assure us that all variants will be covered by the legislation. It is a concern I have heard expressed by people with regard to the legal tightness of the language.

If we do not have time to address this matter fully today, I hope the Minister will return to the House and speak to us about what is happening in respect of all those people coming from non-designated countries. At present, it seems they fill in a form and one or two will get a call from a garda. This seems to be what is happening and it is not enough.