Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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153. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the number of passengers that entered here by plane from the United States of America since the introduction of passenger locator forms; the number of follow-up calls or visits that were made to enforce the mandatory 14-day quarantine; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16342/20]

Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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On the 28 April 2020 my Department agreed to undertake, on behalf of the health authorities, the collection of public health passenger locator forms on a temporary administrative basis.

The Border Management Unit (BMU) collect these forms at Dublin Airport, which is the principal route through which people enter the State. While the Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) manage the compliance for the other entry ports to the State, the passenger locator forms are forwarded to the BMU in Dublin Airport who carry out the follow-up calls for all completed forms.

Under regulations made by the Minister for Health - Health Act 1947 (Section 31A – Temporary Requirements) (Covid-19 Passenger Locator Form) Regulations 2020, S.I. No. 181/2020 - the completion of a passenger locator form became a mandatory requirement on 28 May 2020.

The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport has advised of the following daily number of passengers arriving in Dublin Airport from the USA since 24 April 2020. The figures do not include transfer passengers.

In terms of the number of follow-up calls, please see tables below which cover the period from 28April 2020 (when BMU commenced follow-up calls) to 30June 2020. During this period, almost 100% of passengers who required follow-up calls were contacted. However, from the date that completion of the forms became mandatory, 28 May 2020, the nationality of passengers was no longer included as a question on the form. It is therefore not possible to ascertain the nationality of those to which follow up calls were made and the tables below reflect the overall number of calls rather than those to particular nationals.

Since 1 July 2020, given the increase in passenger numbers, the BMU are required to concentrate on their core immigration duties and therefore, whilst my Department awaits handover of this follow-up process to the Department of Health, the BMU are only in a position to make a sample of follow-up calls.

The BMU now rely on the Dublin Airport Authority (daa) arrivals figures as an indication of the number of passenger locator forms collected by the BMU officers. Given that the form is mandatory and that only 3 referrals have been made to An Garda Síochána for refusing to complete the form, the daa arrivals figure is regarded as an accurate indication of the forms received at Dublin Airport.

The figures provided below for the period 1 July 2020 to 13 July 2020 show the sample of calls made whilst awaiting the handover of this follow-up action to the Department of Health.

The BMU continues to carry out the follow up phone calls on behalf of the HSE, but as passenger numbers are expected to increase significantly over the coming days, as previously mentioned, the BMU will need to focus exclusively on their core function of immigrating passengers and the HSE will take responsibility for this function. Discussions are ongoing between both Departments to finalise a date for the handover.