Sinn Féin spokesperson on Tourism Imelda Munster TD
Yesterday.
Dail Eireann.
Sinn Féins Imelda Munster asked Catherine Martin, Minister for Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, about the policing of Vax passes and echoed the Social Democrats’ call for a snitch line.
Ms Munster said:
“We all welcome the reopening of hospitality, nightlife and entertainment, but I am sure the Minister will agree that the rise in the number of cases in recent weeks has been particularly stark.
We cannot blame this on any single sector but, clearly, the reopening of hospitality has had a part to play in that. We also cannot ignore that mask wearing requirements are very lax in nightclubs. People are exempt if they are dancing, but that is what one does in a nightclub. It is one thing if it is happening when everybody is fully vaccinated but some premises are not asking for Covid vaccine passes and in others, people are using passes that do not belong to them.
What is the Minister going to do about non-compliance? Has she made particular recommendations regarding non-compliance to ensure we curb the spread of Covid-19 and allow the reopening to continue?
Ms Munster added:
“What sanctions can non-compliant businesses in food and hospitality expect if they are not adhering? Regarding the percentage that is complying, the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, revealed last week that the percentage of people not having Covid certificates checked in pubs was 37%, which is quite high, and it was 34% in restaurants. That is quite serious given the way things are going.
“Again, what sanctions are there for businesses in food and hospitality that are non-compliant? Also, would the Minister support the call for a helpline for members of the public who do not feel safe in an environment where they see that Covid passes are not being checked or health guidelines are not being adhered to? Would she support that not only for patrons but also for workers in those environments.”
Minister Catherine Martin responded:
“Regarding the calls for a hotline, where a person has a concern that the requirements of the regulations are not being complied with, he or she may communicate this via the HSE live helpline on 1800 700700. It should be noted that anybody doing so would have to press number 3, which is the other issues category. It might be useful to tailor the helpline to allow members of the public to report specific instances in a more targeted manner. This is something we will communicate to the Department of Health, as the HSE is under the remit of that Department. It will a subject of discussion between officials in the Department of Health, the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and my Department.
“Regarding what happens when there is non-compliance, the fines have been set out but, ultimately, there is the threat of closure. We are appealing to businesses that are not checking for certificates, because it is not fair to the other businesses and it is not fair for public health. For both reasons, to protect public health and to help the businesses that have been through such a tough time to keep their businesses open, everybody should abide by the rules.”
Tuesday: Get Snitching
