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Health Minister Stephan Donnelly Oireachtas.ie

Government wins vote on indoor dining laws labelled as 'discriminatory' by opposition TDs

12 government members were not present for the vote.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS won a crucial Dáil vote on legislation that would allow for indoor dining to resume for vaccinated or Covid-recovered persons.

Yesterday evening, the Dáil passed the second reading of the bill by 72 votes to 66.

There had been suggestions that the government may not have the numbers to pass the legislation if a number of  TDs rebelled but the vote passed with a majority of six despite 12 government members not being present for the vote.

Just one member of the Regional Group of TDs voted with the government, with the remainder of the opposition voting against it.

The government is hoping the legislation can complete its passage through the Dáil and Seanad by Friday and then come into force next week after it is signed by the President.

The government’s plan is that he new rules would be in place for the following weekend, allowing indoor dining in restaurants and pubs take place for the first time this year.

Pre-legislative scrutiny of the bill was waived yesterday to fast-track the process but all of the opposition parties and many independents objected to the pace of the bill’s passage, stating that they did not have enough time to examine it.

The bill essentially allows for a phased return of indoor hospitality, initially to people who can produce verifiable evidence of vaccination or immunity from Covid-19.

Objecting to the bill on the grounds that it is “discriminatory”, Alan Kelly TD said that there are “serious legal questions over it” that will “go to another forum after the Oireachtas”.

“What we are doing here crosses a line that should not be crossed, in that we isolate, treat people differently and say to people that because of the order we have decided you will be vaccinated, we can discriminate against you,” Kelly said.

The Labour leader went on to question the constitutionality of the legislation, describing it as “constitutionally dubious”.

“The sunset clause is another issue. I believe the sunset clause is in this legislation because it has to be for fear the legislation may not be constitutional. If there was no sunset clause, the risk of it being unconstitutional is higher,” he said.

Sinn Féin’s Thomas Gould TD described the legislation as “discriminatory” and “unworkable” and took issue with the provision allowing children into restaurants if their parents are fully vaccinated.

“This does not make sense to people and raises serious questions about understanding the impact the pandemic is having on young people in particular,” he said.

PastedImage-64685 Results of the Dáil vote. Oireachtas.ie Oireachtas.ie

Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall TD said opposition parties have “in the main, been supportive of the government in dealing with Covid” but that this legislation is “very far-reaching”.

“It provides, for the first time, for discrimination based on a person’s health status – in this case, his or her vaccination status. That has implications for solidarity across the generations,” she said.

It is regrettable given the very difficult time young people have had over the past almost two years.

Independent TD Catherine Connolly criticised the waving of pre-legislative scrutiny of the bill, saying that it is being “rammed through the Dáil”.

Defending the bill from the attacks from the opposition, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that passing the bill would “achieve the best possible balance” between a return to normal activities and “the very sound principles of public health”.

Donnelly said all groups will “very shortly” have the opportunity to receive a Covid-19 vaccine and that it is “an act of solidarity” to allow vaccinated persons enjoy indoor hospitality first.

He also rejected the various claims of discrimination raised by opposition deputies, arguing that the principal of treating vaccinated and unvaccinated persons differently is already accepted in the context of international travel.

“The entire EU Digital Covid Certificate is based on vaccination status and there are additional measures that people have to take if they don’t have that vaccination or testing status,” he said.

“So we’ve already accepted, and many of the deputies here who were saying we can’t differentiate based on their health status, they didn’t read any of these issues or any of these concerns. When it pertained to international travel. So the principle is there.”

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    Mute Munster1
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:12 PM

    Destroyed for farms so they can sell Europe and the world cheap meat.

    278
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    Mute DERRY1973
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:18 PM

    @Munster1: soya bean more like.

    88
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    Mute john smith iv
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:35 PM

    @Munster1: if that is happening (I’m sure that the EU is mostly sufficient in beef) then get on to your MEP to ban it.

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    Mute Monty Donotno
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 11:42 PM

    @Munster1: more like destroyed for soya bean so they can sell Europe and the world cheap feed for producing meat and milk in their own countries while their governments pretend to care.

    40
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    Mute Bitcoin Buddy
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:23 PM

    IMF / ECB / WEF Wanting Ireland to slow down meat production while backhanding SA deforestation for cheaper meat.

    155
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    Mute Reg
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:32 PM

    Depressing.

    130
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    Mute Andy mc Laughlin
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:51 PM

    I am by no means a tree hugger but you would have to be deluded to think that this isn’t a bad thing.

    129
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    Mute Chief
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:23 PM

    Oh, Manhattan eh. Just down the road from almost none of us.

    105
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    Mute David Duffy
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 12:57 AM

    @Chief: do you not normally measure your rainforests in Manhattan’s?

    77
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    Mute Fachtna Roe
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 9:15 AM

    @Chief: 6 * Manhattan =~ (3 * Dublin) + (1 * Athlone)

    14
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    Mute David Geraghty
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:24 PM

    Is there nowhere with an area six times the size of Manhattan that could have been referred to in the title. Or I don’t know, just say the specific figure

    92
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    Mute Ixtrix Net
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 11:20 PM

    @David Geraghty:
    A little larger than Grenada, or a little smaller than Mayotte. It says nearly 360km² in the article

    18
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    Mute SPQH
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 11:42 PM

    @David Geraghty: Manhattan is now a measurement of area since our stupid obsession with all things NY and the sheer amount of times Hollywood shove it down our throats as the default way a city should look, anything that’s ever happened that’s of any interest has happened in NY and your life is just bleak if you’re beyond bridge and tunnel, unless you’re from LA of course. Isle of Man is about 6 Manhattans.

    52
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    Mute John Johnes
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:23 PM

    A great reason for our gov to tax Irish citizen.

    84
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    Mute Alan Biddulph
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 8:17 AM

    @John Johnes: John I doubt you pay much tax if your intellect and comments on here are anything to go pay.

    24
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    Mute Alan Biddulph
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 8:21 AM

    @Alan Biddulph: By*

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    Mute Tom Gahan
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 6:33 PM

    @John Johnes: Yes indeed and put a bag of coal or a fill of heating oil to unaffordable heights.

    1
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    Mute andrew
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 10:50 PM

    Absolutely dreadful and Bolsonaro is a right piece of work neglecting the Amazon rainforest and the indegenous people

    103
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    Mute Hear me now
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    Feb 2nd 2022, 11:09 PM

    Handed paradise & what do we do…

    63
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    Mute Fachtna Roe
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 9:24 AM

    @Hear me now: Lose it, and write poetry about it?

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    Mute SandraMeyler
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 7:22 AM

    Send Eamon Ryan there for a few years
    He will sort it

    22
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    Mute Alan Biddulph
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 8:14 AM

    @SandraMeyler: Good one Sandra! At least your recycled joke is renewable.

    19
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    Mute Will
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 12:35 PM

    For some perspective, over 60% of Brazil is covered in forest. The figure for Ireland is 12% and that has decreased slightly in the last 20 years.
    When we plant forest we tend to plant non native spruce and the like. This acidifies the soil and leads to a dead forest with little or no biodiversity. We plant for purely commercial reasons. Easy to point the finger at Brazil and tut.
    When you look at Brazils fast increasing population it is no wonder it leads to deforestation on a grand scale. Populists like Bolsonaro aren’t going to stand in the way when there’s money to be made. This leads to jobs which leads to votes. It’s a no brainer for him. Would our lot be any different given the circumstances?

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    Mute Michael Dowling
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 12:47 PM

    This is where the greens should be lobbying not taxing the Irish.

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    Mute Liam Mc Meel
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    Feb 3rd 2022, 12:06 AM

    Make a nice theme park out if that stretch of land

    4
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