Bríd Smith: Calls vaccine pass bill a gamble on young workers' health
Bríd Smith spoke against the vaccine pass bill, arguing it is a gamble that will create a two-tier society and put young workers at risk. She urged retention of the pandemic unemployment payment, demanded pre-legislative scrutiny and warned about privacy and discrimination concerns.
Main criticism of the bill
Bríd Smith said the bill is a gamble and warned it would allow only vaccinated people to eat in restaurants and pubs while unvaccinated young staff would continue to serve them - a "21st century version of upstairs, downstairs." She also highlighted the danger of long Covid, saying it could impact -20% of those who have had the disease and are not vaccinated.
Economic and welfare concerns
She argued the Government should keep pandemic unemployment payment (PUP) supports rather than forcing young people back into potentially dangerous jobs. Bríd Smith described forcing the measure through without pre-legislative scrutiny as totally irresponsible and warned elected representatives and businesses would be unable to answer numerous unanswered questions.
Privacy and discrimination issues
Bríd Smith cited the ICCL's serious concerns about privacy, data protection and discrimination and said the measure amounts to mandatory vaccination by the back door. She echoed the World Health Organisation's opposition to mandatory vaccination and warned the bill risks creating a divisive two-tier society.
Public spaces and outdoor facilities
She criticised the state of public outdoor spaces, saying people have been encouraged to stay outdoors yet local areas lack basic amenities - bins, benches and outdoor toilets - and that increasing property tax will not substitute for proper public facilities. Without adequate outdoor shelters and facilities, Bríd Smith warned people will be forced indoors.
Schools, GPs and health services
Bríd Smith raised concerns about inadequate monitors and ventilators in schools, noting many teachers aged 35-plus had not yet been vaccinated and vulnerable staff had been forced back into classrooms. She expressed sympathy for GPs, condemned the lack of consultation with the IMO and said overwhelmed GP clinics have suffered from how the issue was handled.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Graemeaghto Cian Coarle, taise, se leir nis goa Cearbachas e an bil a seo agus taereis na hibertig o leir rin am wintian o teir a seo is náir a e. Ni ceartu an diiru ar lasan o gno agus a ausgullt e jainaf rith gollioor dini la vacsín umlan faitha acu. This bil is a gamble and in particular we're gambling with the health of young workers. It is only those who are vaccinated will be able to eat in restaurants and pubs, but the young people who serve them who are unvaccinated will have to wait on them hand and foot in a sort of a 21st century version of upstairs, downstairs. We know we will not see, thankfully, the same level of hospitalisation and death, but what we do not know and what we do not seem to be taking into account is the possible effects of long Covid which could actually impact on 20% of those who have had the disease and are not vaccinated. Minister, we should not squander the gains that have been made by the population of this country. There is another reason why you should keep up the PUP payments. Instead of forcing young people back into jobs that are dangerous for them, you could keep paying them the pandemic unemployment payment. Forcing this through without pre-legislative scrutiny is totally irresponsible and it would be irresponsible for us in opposition to support it without that scrutiny. There are so many unanswered questions that elected reps cannot answer. How do we expect Wittners and publicans and restaurants to be able to answer them? The ICCL ministers, as you know, have serious concerns about the right to privacy, about data protection and about the question of discrimination amongst our population. They have called this mandatory vaccination by the back door and we are all I think opposed to mandatory vaccination just as the World Health Organisation are. We need to bring people along with us and convince them that it is the right thing to do, but by discriminating against a cohort of the population in this way we are risking absolute mandatory vaccination by the back door and creating a divisive two-tier society. This is a huge ethical issue, Minister. One more issue that I think we should look at is we have been encouraging people to stay outdoors, to picnic outdoors, to play outdoors and yet our public domain is a disgrace and we are increasing the property tax which is used to cover local authority funding, but we do not have proper bins, proper benches, outdoor toilets and we are going to force people indoors unless we create those shelters and facilities for them that will help to keep them outdoors. We are having this debate and passing this bill in the interest of public health. I doubt it, we are doing it in the interest of business. We need to support people, we need to give more vaccinations and lift the intellectual property rights from the vaccine and support the people's vaccine. But I am particularly worried about schools and the inadequate provision of monitors and ventilators. Teachers who are 35 plus have not yet been vaccinated and many vulnerable teachers have been forced back into schools where they have either contracted Covid or have been compromised because of underlying health conditions. Finally, I have every sympathy with the GPs and the manner in which this issue has been handled. It is shameful. No consultation with the IMO, doctors clinics which are already overwhelmed with the fallout from the lockdown have been really taking it in the neck. If you push this through and divide a society that hung together for so long, it would be a shame on this Government. People are being left in limbo and in confusion and as we close up shop for the summer, we are expecting them to swallow this. I think Minister, from listening to the debate here, it is not just the opposition who have concerns but an awful lot of Government deputies are concerned about this Bill and I have listened to several of them here this afternoon. I would advocate, I do not tell other parties what to do, but the right thing to do would be for the Government parties to lift the whip on this vote tonight and allow for a free vote. We are hearing a lot of unease across the House about this Bill and it is no wonder why not when it has been thrown at us in this manner and has been led and pushed forward by big business rather than by the interests of public health.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
