Emer Currie (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and thank her for her remarks on the piloting of antigen testing. I wish to confirm my concern for those affected by the difficulties in aviation and with connectivity in general. Connectivity is so important for brand Ireland as well as for consumers and businesses.

There is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the digital green certificate and people are asking very practical questions. Senator Doherty has called for a public information campaign which is a really good idea. I wish to pose a number of questions. If a country accepts an antigen test, is it okay for us to travel with just an antigen test? If so, do we just require a PCR test on our return? If we need PCR tests when leaving, can we use the HSE system to get those tests? The bigger question I have concerns people in the North. We have special arrangements in place for the Erasmus+ programme and the European health insurance card so why not for this? The Tánaiste spoke about how unfair it would be to stop young people travelling because they were not fully vaccinated but what about those who are resident in the North? Many would not think of themselves as living in a third country vis-à-visthe South. I understand that people are concerned about the Delta variant but the same safety measures would be put in place and people would travel under the same conditions. The reopening in the North has been slowed down because of the Delta variant and its vaccination roll-out is further ahead. Knowing that the date is 19 July and given the planning that would be involved in order to include the North, is there an appetite to try to come up with a solution?