Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

128. To ask the Minister for Health if Ireland will send emergency oxygen and PPE to the health service in India as a matter of urgency in response to the crisis there. [22470/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I along with my colleagues the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD and the Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney TD, the HSE and a number of Departments and state agencies are working to provide assistance to India in response to the current severe COVID-19 outbreak there.

An emergency donation of vital emergency material, comprising 700 oxygen concentrators, has been made by Ireland to India through the European Civil Protection Mechanism with further donations under discussion. The initial donation was made from stocks originally purchased by the HSE for use in a field hospital setting, as part of pandemic preparations. The plane carrying this donation departed on Wednesday.

Ireland’s contribution forms part of a coordinated EU response to provide rapid and tangible support and solidarity with India in response to a request from India. The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage) is coordinating Ireland’s aid effort, through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, working with the Department of Health, the HSE, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish Aid, the Department of Transport, Revenue and others.

We have all seen the rapidly deteriorating situation in relation to COVID-19 in India and I am pleased that Ireland was in a position to make this emergency donation. The oxygen concentrators that have been provided will support frontline healthcare workers in India to deliver care to patients who need it.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

129. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons whose origin country of travel was India that arrived into Ireland in January, February, March and to 25 March 2021, in tabular form. [22471/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

All passengers arriving into the state are required to complete a COVID-19 Passenger Locator Form (PLF) in accordance with SI 45/2021. There are limited exemptions from this requirement, as set out in the regulations, such as for international transport workers or for diplomats. The Passenger Locator Form is used to support a system of engagements with arriving passengers including the targeting of public health messaging by SMS and may be used for contact tracing.

It should be noted that PLF data does not constitute formal arrival data into the state, due to the different intended purpose for the system and also the number of exempted persons as set out above. In addition, some passengers may complete a PLF in advance but be unable to travel as intended, and the data below may include some duplicates for certain travellers. Passengers may have completed a PLF and continued their journey without staying overnight in the state or having transiting onto Northern Ireland.

The data below is an indicative number of passengers who stated India as either their country of departure or country visited in the previous 14 days from 6 February to 21 April, within the data that is available to the Department.

150,046 Passenger Locator Forms were completed during this period from all countries of departure for relevant travellers. 3.6% of the Passenger Locator Forms indicated India in their travel history.

The data in the table below includes the number of accompanying children under 16 declared on the PLF. No further information is recorded on passengers under 16 years of age.

The figures below are subject to change due to ongoing data cleansing e.g. duplication where passengers completed the PLF twice.