Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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555. To ask the Minister for Health if he received advice from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, or any other European Union agency verbally, by letter or electronically not to impose travel restrictions or mandatory self-isolation or mandatory quarantine since February 2020. [2558/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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This Government continues to strongly advise against all non-essential international travel to combat the spread of COVID-19.

Recent correspondence between my Department and the ECDC expressed concern amongst our national health experts with inconsistencies in messaging in ECDC publications in relation to international travel. Such inconsistencies were recognised by the ECDC and my Department is assured that they are looking at improving procedures when developing such guidance.

Ireland has implemented a range of measures for the purposes of aligning arrangements for international travel with the EU ‘traffic light’ approach and I am committed to continued work with the EU and European institutions in a coordinated international effort.

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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556. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons who have travelled to Ireland by air and by sea in each of the past five months; the number who filled a passenger locator form in each of the past five months; the number who completed a passenger locator form that were contacted within 14 days in each of the past five months; and the number who travelled here who can be confirmed were adhering 100% to self-isolation in each of the past five months. [2560/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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There have been approximately 712,000 Passenger Locator Forms (PLF's) completed by passengers arriving into Ireland since the electronic PLF was introduced on 26^thAugust 2020 to 7^thJanuary. A call centre was set up to manage the PLF data.

508,000 passengers who completed electronic PLF’s and those who completed a valid paper version of the form have all been contacted and have received public health messages. The PLF is used to support an enhanced system of engagements with arriving passengers including the targeting of public health messages via SMS. Passengers are contacted to verify the place of address provided on the form. This is done via interactive SMS with follow up phone calls as appropriate. 1.3 million public health SMS messages approximately were issued between 26^thAugust to 7^thJanuary.

From the outset of the pandemic, Ireland’s approach to international travel has been centred on advisory public health measures with the exception of the PLF, which has been a mandatory requirement for arriving passengers to complete. The PLF allows for targeted public health messaging and assists contact tracing purposes.

The detailed monthly figures requested by the Deputy have been requested from the PLF contact centre and this will be provided to the Deputy once available.