Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Bill 2020: Committee and Remaining Stages
Dail Éireann — 2020-03-19
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Denis Naughten (IND), Roscommon-Galway

I move amendment No. 40:
In page 8, after line 42, to insert the following:
(v) house parties, namely gatherings of people in a private residence who don’t normally reside on the premises, for the purposes of entertainment;”.
We have discussed it here on Second Stage but perhaps the Minister will clarify the position regarding house parties and whether the legislation is robust enough to deal with it. I raise the issue because the definition with regard to prohibition of events refers to events and "the numbers likely to be attending". This is before the fact and I am concerned that the regulations should apply to house parties, which could be a bigger issue in the coming weeks and months, at the time the event is taking place. Will the Minister clarify this?
Amendment No. 41 refers to facilities and centres. While we have already discussed universities, schools, crèches and so on, there is an issue around adult day centres and especially those centres for people with intellectual disabilities in that they are not incorporated into the definitions as proposed. These centres seem to have slipped through the cracks with regard to the decision last week to close facilities.

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Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:47:28+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-03-19