Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 November 2021
569. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to counterfeit Irish vaccine passports being sold and distributed; the steps he is taking to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55763/21]
View answerThis matter is currently being investigated by the Department of Health and the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and officials are awaiting material from An Garda Siochana to determine if such certificates exist so we determine how any such certificate was issued and signed.
Under SI 318/2020 the European Union (EU Digital Covid Certificates) Regulations 2021, it is an offence to forge, fraudulently alter, assist in forging or fraudulently altering or procuring any document where such document is used or intended to be used as if it was an EU Digital Covid Certificate. A person who commits an offence is liable on summary conviction in the case of a first such offence, to a fine not exceeding €4,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding one month or both with further penalties for second, third and subsequent offences.
There have been a small number of fraudulent certificates issued in other Member States and Ireland are working with the European Commission and other Member States to coordinate at an EU level to improve invalidation and revocation systems to be able to react to any such cases in a timely way.
