Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

While I understand the motivation behind this is well meaning and genuine, it is simply not practicable and it is one of the many reasons the Dáil and the Seanad do not regulate in other sectors either. The level of regulation required would mean the Oireachtas would cease to be able to do its job, which is to legislate. However, I am putting new processes in place to make sure Members are directly contacted about new regulations. Given all of that, there is a crystal clear requirement for this Bill and for us to have public health measures, some of which need to have a legal basis. I accept that I and the Government must always strive to do better.

In the Bill we are talking about the ability to regulate for matters like international travel, face coverings and Covid passes for the coming months. Unfortunately the Omicron variant has made the need for that even more obvious. We have had a national effort, which has been working. People, including employers, families and community groups, have responded in recent weeks when the call went out that we all needed to pull back a bit. The response has been incredible and we have seen throughout the country. The vaccine programme and the testing and tracing programmes are working and antigen tests are being rolled out more and more. The public health measures we are deploying have been working and, more importantly, the efforts of individuals and families have been working. As a result, we have seen a stabilisation in case numbers, hospitalisations and the number of people getting very sick and ending up in critical care.

As per the advice from the Chief Medical Officer and as has been said by international public health organisations, things are uncertain. Researchers are looking at this variant and saying it is the most worrying one they have seen. Please God we will find that it will not be so severe, but early indications are that, regardless, we have to take it very seriously for now.For that reason, I believe this Bill is, unfortunately, necessary. It is time-limited. Colleagues will be aware that during the passage of the previous Bill in June, Opposition amendments were tabled asking there be only one sunset clause. I agreed with that. I actually had to go back to the Government to get a changed Government decision to agree to that. I got it, we brought it in and we amended the legislation. In fact, that is why we are here. I have stitched the same into the Bill. There are four Acts covered under this legislation. For one of them it is an extension of about three months but for the other three it is an extension of less than two months. It is from early February until the end of March. Then we can put in one 13-week extension after that.

Thus, on all of those bases I regretfully commend the Bill to the House.