Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 28 January 2021
221. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Health the number of times he has spoken with or written to his counterpart in the UK Government and in the Stormont Executive in relation to coordinating international travel restrictions to combat Covid-19; the date of each physical and virtual meeting, phone call or letter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4539/21]
View answerThere has been, and continues to be, significant engagement and cooperation between the Ministers for Health, the Chief Medical Officers, and the Departments of Health in Ireland and Northern Ireland throughout this pandemic. I recently met with Minister Robin Swann about data sharing from respective passenger locator forms on the 20th of January and with Secretary of State Matt Hancock to discuss COVID-19 related matters on the 25th of January.
Both administrations are seeking to adopt similar approaches, where it is appropriate to do so and on the advice of respective Chief Medical Officers. This approach is underpinned a Memorandum of Understanding agreed by the Chief Medical Officers of the Department of Health and the Department of Health in Northern Ireland in April 2020 to strengthen North South co-operation on the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In November, this overarching agreement was supplemented with a further Memorandum of Understanding in relation to a framework for mutual support for the provision of critical care.
Meetings of the North South Ministerial Council are also an important pillar in our regular engagements with Northern Ireland counterparts on COVID-19. The most recent meeting, the Twenty Fifth North South Ministerial Council Plenary, was held on the 18th of December.
There have also been regular ‘Quad’ calls, the most recent being on the 12th of October, co-chaired the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with the First Minister and deputy First Minister to discuss the response to COVID-19, which the Ministers of Health for Ireland and Northern Ireland have also attended.
