Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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177. To ask the Minister for Health when first holy communion and confirmation ceremonies will be allowed to take place in churches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30515/21]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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180. To ask the Minister for Health if, under new guidelines, communions and confirmations will go ahead, particularly in smaller school with groups of 25; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30590/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 177 and 180 together.

There has been considerable progress in reducing infection levels since the peak of the wave of infection in late 2020/early 2021 because of the widespread adherence by the public to the public health measures in place, and this progress was sustained during recent phases of reopening in April, May, and June.

While significant progress is being made in relation to the roll-out of our vaccination programme and the epidemiological situation was broadly stable through most of June, the prevalence of the more transmissible Delta variant is rapidly increasing in Ireland and this poses a significant risk to those who are not yet fully protected though vaccination. Indicators of disease incidence are all now increasing.

On 29 June, Government announced the next phase of reopening the economy and society in line with Recovery and Resilience: The Path Ahead,with an emphasis on lower risk activities given the risks posed by the Delta variant. Higher risk indoor activities, including organised events, service in bars and restaurants, group training, exercise and dance will not yet recommence, pending the implementation of a system to verify vaccination or immunity status.

In line with the delay to other July measures, the current advice is that religious celebrations and ceremonies (outside of weddings and funerals) should not go ahead in July as previously signalled. This is in recognition of the multi household, multi-generational nature of these events and linked social activities and is a response to concerns from public health across the regions in relation to gatherings of this nature.

Church leaders have been very supportive of the overall national public health response to date and the Government will continue to work with them to ensure that all ceremonies can return when it is safe to do so.

While there has been scope to continue with the easing of public health measures, our approach must continue to be cautious, gradual and on a phased basis, with sufficient time between any easing of measures to assess the impact. This will be critical to ensure that our progress in controlling the virus is maintained.

Significant and sustained progress has been made on suppressing the virus over recent months due to the huge effort of people across the country. By working together, we have saved lives and limited the impact of the disease on society in Ireland. To protect the gains of recent months we must continue to practice basic preventative behaviours and to follow public health guidelines.