Frank Feighan (Sligo-Leitrim, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this question and providing me with the opportunity to update the House on this matter on behalf of the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly.

Covid-19 has created unprecedented challenges for Irish citizens at home and overseas who seek to travel. Public health requirements have been put in place for travellers arriving to Ireland from overseas in order to protect against the introduction of new cases of Covid-19 and newly developing variants across the world. Based on knowledge to date, the safest way to reopen society, including to international travel, is to continue to control disease incidence through a range of public health measures which are continuously reviewed, along with progressing the national vaccination programme to ensure as many people as possible within the population are protected through immunisation.

Under the current measures, travellers to Ireland who are fully vaccinated with European Medicines Agency approved vaccines are exempt from hotel quarantine but are still required to show a negative pre-departure RT-PCR test and to complete a period of self-quarantine at home. The accepted Covid-19 vaccines have received market authorisation from the EMA and, therefore, comply with all the requirements of quality, safety and efficacy set out in the EU pharmaceutical legislation. Authorised vaccines are also subject to ongoing monitoring in Ireland by the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA.

The Government has announced that new travel policies will be introduced from 19 July, subject to the prevailing public health situation. While it is not intended to depart from recognition of EMA approved vaccinations, the measures that apply following travel overseas will be revised and the new travel measures will be publicised in advance of 19 July.

The Senator has raised some issues on which I have received correspondence and which I have passed up the line. In Spain, all eight EMA and WHO vaccines are recognised, as is the case in Greece and Estonia. They are able to bring back from Dubai people who have received vaccinations other than those approved by the EMA. We are conscious of these issues and they are being examined in the Department. I have no answer for the Senator today but it is appreciated that it is an issue that, hopefully, can be addressed.