Rose Conway-Walsh: Calls legislation 'chaos and segregation'
Rose Conway-Walsh criticised government COVID-related legislation that would limit access to indoor dining for unvaccinated people and require students to return to in-person classes, calling it unworkable and unjust. She warned the measures create segregation, chaos and confusion, and raised specific concerns about international students and enforcement.
Legislation criticised as unworkable and unjust
She told the Dáil the legislation is "completely unworkable and unjust" and rejected attempts by Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Green TDs to rationalise it. She compared the effect of showing a pass at the door to segregation and said it was wrong to claim people were treated differently without calling it discrimination.
Contradictory rules for students and indoor dining
She highlighted a clash between rules that would preclude unvaccinated people from indoor dining and decisions to require students to return to in-person classes. She raised the scale of the issue by citing 10,000 English language students now told to attend classes in person and said there was no clear guidance or safety assurance for largely unvaccinated young people and tutors.
Visa and welfare concerns for international students
She warned that STAM 2 students face particular pressure because visa requirements could force them into in-person attendance or risk losing their visas and being deported. She emphasised many of these students also work in nursing homes and as carers, yet have little choice over returning to campus.
Enforcement and political confusion
She said business owners will not be able to check every customer and described the government's approach as chaotic, with different ministers and TDs giving inconsistent messages. She questioned whether the minister for further and higher education had consulted colleagues and asked if the government would accept amendments to address the damage she believes the legislation will cause.
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I am speaking to the amendment but it is becoming more and more obvious as the evening goes on that this legislation is completely unworkable and unjust and I don't care how many Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael or Green TDs stand up and try and rationalise it and I take what the previous speaker, one of the previous government speakers said, while it is not too much for me to show my pass at the door and I'll go in and get my seat and I really thought of Rosa Parks and I thought of the segregation that's been done here and to say that people are being treated differently but they're not being discriminated against is just plain wrong. Minister, this government will be known as the government of chaos and confusion because it depends on any given day what minister, what TD stands up as to what they say. The TDs are, as I said earlier, they're in opposition in their constituencies and they're in government when they come to Dublin. Now it's time they made up their mind. Some of them even here this evening will be voting against, voting for what they're talking against in their constituencies. Those are the ones that haven't run for the hills so that they can go back and say well I didn't press the button so it's not my fault. It is absolutely chaos and I'll give you an example of it minister. This evening Simon Horace the Minister for Further and Higher Education is saying that 10,000 English language students are to now go into do classes, in person classes, right? 10,000. Now these 10,000 people are mostly young people and young tutors. They are mostly unvaccinated and obviously they're concerned about their safety. And there is no guidance whatsoever or no clarity. Now this is a very fragile moment of the reopening of our society. So in the same week, even the same day that the government is passing legislation to preclude unvaccinated people from indoor dining and they're telling staff and students that they have to return to in-person class. And I want to ask you minister, you know, did the minister for further and higher education ask your advice on this? Did he discuss it with you? The situation is even worse for STAM 2 students who will effectively be forced to return to in-person classes due to their visa requirements. If they refuse to attend, they could lose their visas and be deported. More chaos, more chaos, more confusion. Most of these students work in nursing homes and as carers, but regardless of their job or their personal health conditions, they are being given no choice but to return to in-person classes. And yet they're told that they can't sit in a restaurant if you have ventilation, all of the safety measures in place. So I just want to know what's going on and young people want to know what's going on. How come we have 10,000 students who are in this situation and then we have others who aren't left in the door? And I don't care how comfortable the vaccinated Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Greens are when they take their seats inside in the restaurants. We cannot segregate society like this. And to compare it to, we did it with the over 70s. Yes, it was proper and evidence-based advice for over 70s to have extra protection during the period of COVID and at the beginning of COVID for their safety. It is not the same as what is being done now. And the unworkability of it in terms of, if you talk to restaurant owners and you talk to pub owners, they are not going to go and check every individual coming through the door. Like it is just not going to work. Now, Minister, this is the First Amendment here on it. You seem hell-bent and the government seems hell-bent in pushing through this legislation. So no matter how much we in Sinn Féin and the opposition try to make you see sense around this legislation, it seems like that you are going to plough ahead with it. But one of the earlier speakers said, can you come up honestly and tell us, are you going to accept any of these amendments whatsoever to try and undo some of the damage that I believe that you are about to do tonight? Let's see. Let's start with this discussion today. Let's begin. What do we do today? Let's begin. Let me just say we're going to find some questions. Let's begin. Let's begin. Let's begin. Let's begin. Let's begin. Let's begin. Let's begin. Let's begin. Let's begin. Let's begin.
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