Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 June 2021
272. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the number of HSE public health staff who worked at the test concert in the Iveagh Gardens on 11 June 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32606/21]
View answerFollowing the recent Government decision to prepare for the safe reopening of live cultural, sporting and entertainment events, my Department has prepared a programme of pilot live events for June and July. This broad programme includes sporting, cultural and live entertainment events, both indoors and outdoors. These pilot events will allow for sports, arts, culture and entertainment organisations to test necessary control and other measures in venues across a range of settings and have been designed to inform the safe reopening of these sectors. They will be subject to ongoing review including with respect to the prevailing public health situation.
As part of the preparations for the events, my Department has worked and continues to work with representative bodies and stakeholders from the culture, sport and live event sectors on the programme of events.
The events are being organised with venue operators and promotors who are submitting Event Management Plans to my Department which are reviewed by Health and Safety consultants. There was no requirement to have HSE staff at the Iveagh Gardens concert. I will continue to keep these matters under review as the pilots progress and as public health guidance evolves.
