Mary Seery Kearney (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for being here. While I missed some of the debate due to meeting commitments, I echo the calls for the increased use of antigen tests. I understand the caution and the nerves. When I first saw them advertised in a supermarket I was concerned that their cavalier use could facilitate more socialising and more people being out and about.If we get instructions and public information about how to use them, however, there is no reason that the latter cannot be overcome. The benefits of their use are particularly relevant to aviation. The constituency in which I live, Dublin South-Central, contains many tourist spots. Many people coming into the country wander around Dublin city so it is not just about aviation and the people employed in the sector, although we need to move on this. They have been on the sidelines for a very long time. One of the most vocal spokespersons on behalf of this sector is a former captain, Sarah Louise Gibbons, who is a relative of mine. She has spoken very articulately about how her world has changed. In the space of 15 months, she went from literally flying high and instructing others to being made redundant. We certainly need to do something dramatic for the aviation sector to ensure that it is opened up along with all businesses that flow from it, such as small restaurants, etc. We have the Royal Hospital in Dublin South-Central and so many places people visit. That tourism keeps employment in the area.

We need to address how we will include people vaccinated in Northern Ireland under the digital green certificate programme. Some residents of Dublin who grew up in the North and went home to get their vaccination ahead of us have written to me. How will we facilitate their being allowed to travel? It would be useful for us to debate how we are going to do that.

I welcome the Minister of State's remarks, which have been very positive and hopeful. At all stages, she has acknowledged that the Government has attempted to respond as quickly as it can. We need, however, to send out a signal to the effect that aviation, in and of itself, is not dangerous. We are grappling with the virus and with potential unknowns in the context of the Delta variant. We are also looking at the numbers with Covid in our hospitals and ICUs and seeing that the picture in this regard continues to be very positive. As a result, perhaps it is time for us to be more courageous in our decision-making and to take very positive steps to encourage the return of flights and confidence in travel in order to help entire sectors and companies such as Aer Lingus that will take up to ten years to recover.