CABINET PLANS CRACKDOWN ON STUDENT PARTIES

Revellers face new graduated system of f inancial penalties

COLLEGE parties are expected to be the next major battleground in the fight against Covid-19, Government sources have told the Irish Mail on Sunday.

The Government still intends to bring in measures to deal with house parties – but the current penalties will be significantly altered as they were considered too harsh by Cabinet.

The move comes after plans to empower gardaí to enter homes and prosecute those who organise gatherings that violated the ‘six persons from three households’ Covid rule were abandoned at the last minute on Friday.

It was confirmed last night that there were a further 142 new cases of Covid-19 notified to the HSE but there were no further deaths.

Senior figures in Government believed that

plans in a Cabinet memo to impose severe sanctions on people attending house parties that violated Covid restrictions ‘were too draconian’.

The Department of Health and the Department of Justice have gone away to draft more ‘flexible’ regulations that would see a graduated schedule of fines for those flouting regulations.

It is also understood that the Cabinet was told by the Attorney General that, even with the proposed new powers, gardaí would still require a warrant to enter a private dwelling. As such, gatherings of more than six indoors or outdoors will instead be dealt with as a civil, rather than a criminal, matter with Justice Minister Helen McEntee saying a ‘penal provision’ would be viewed as too extreme.

It is believed ministers thought making it a criminal matter with harsh penalties risked alienating the public.

But the Cabinet is not backing away from what they believe is a key issue as the start of the new college year approaches.

A senior Government source told the MoS yesterday that: ‘There is a particular concern about college parties.

‘There is ongoing consultation between Health, Justice and the AG and all options are being kept under review’.

The source said: ‘It was a collective Cabinet decision where pragmatism prevailed.’

Of the expectations that new

‘Fines were a bit heavy for a knitting gathering’

powers were to be announced, they simply said: ‘Pre-Cabinet leaks are always dangerous.

‘There will, though, have to be a review of what can be done as regards big college parties.

‘Colleges are coming back in the next few weeks and we need to get ahead of the game.’

To back up this viewpoint, significant concerns have been raised over a spate of ‘lockdown parties’ in College Road, Cork – which is part of the Taoiseach’s constituency, where partying was ‘endemic’, the source said.

Speaking about how the Government’s approach would change from the initial attempt to curb such partying, a separate Cabinet source explained that the restrictions would be enforced by recourse to a structure of fines that was less blunt – and had more options than just the €2,500 penalty allowed for under current Covid laws.

‘They are already operating a similar schedule in Northern Ireland, where there is an ascending schedule of fines for those flouting regulations. We are going to see that introduced here,’ a minister said.

The Health Minister has been empowered with sweeping legislation that essentially allows him to introduce legal penalties for anything that threatens public health. These laws are due to expire in November.

‘They are blunt laws,’ a minister said last night. ‘Effectively there is a €2,500 fine and/or six months in jail for flouting regulations. That was going to be a bit heavy for some elderly woman having a seventh person into her knitting gathering.’

The MoS has also learned that, along with Micheál Martin and other senior officials intervening to withdraw the house gathering rule, Attorney General Paul Gallagher also gave advice. Mr Gallagher’s office advised that search warrants would still be required by gardaí entering homes.

It was deemed by several figures across Government that a crackdown on house parties was, with the present laws, ‘unenforceable’.

Fines will stretch from the lowest level for not wearing facemasks in certain settings, to serious violations of restrictions in licensed premises and gatherings.

Rural publicans reacted with fury after Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said they may not be able to reopen until next year.

Mr Varadkar was launching a €16m support package for the sector when he made his comments, but this financial aid was dismissed by bar owners as ‘a kick in the teeth’.

The two groups representing Dublin city and rural publicans came together to make a joint statement telling ministers: ‘We asked for “Support, Not Sympathy” and the Government has given us crumbs.’

They warned that two-thirds of the 3,500 pubs that have been closed for five months now will go out of business by January if things remain the same.

Speaking after the Cabinet meeting on Friday, Mr Varadkar said: ‘Ireland is the only country in Europe that wet pubs are fully closed. In most countries they’re open with some restrictions and we are examining if that can be done. We want to make sure that as many as can reopen will.’

The Drinks Industry Group of Ireland said the €16 m package was not enough and showed shortterm thinking.

‘Lockdown until 2021 will cause irretrievable losses in jobs, reduce prospects in rural communities,

weaken our tourism product and permanently damage the character and culture of the country. If the Government wants to make impactful decisions, longerterm strategies need to be put in place,’ the group said.

Yesterday’s 142 new cases brings the total number to 28,720 confirmed cases – with Covid-19 related deaths here remaining at 1,777 as nobody has died in the past seven days.

The latest cases include 32 associated with outbreaks or close contacts of a confirmed case while 19 cases were identified as being from community transmission.

There were 59 cases in Dublin, 20 in Kildare, 14 in Donegal, 14 in Limerick, eight in Wexford, six in Tipperary and the remaining 21 are located in Carlow, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Kilkenny, Laois, Louth, Mayo, Meath and Wicklow.

Acting Chief Medical Officer Dr Ronan Glynn said: ‘Today marks six months since our first case of Covid19. It has been a very difficult time for many and few have been left untouched in some way by the negative effects of this pandemic.

‘However, it has also been a time of incredible solidarity, a time when a sense of community has come to the fore. We have seen innovation, cooperation, volunteerism and charity and kindness on an enormous scale. Our frontline workers have stepped up again and again.’

‘But underpinning it all has been each person playing their part by making the right choices, many times, each day. Together, we have broken the chains of transmission and flattened the curve,’ he said.

‘As cases rise again, it is these same behaviours that will once again make the difference, protecting ourselves, our families and our communities.’

Meanwhile, a source said that there will be a decision regarding a new EU commissioner in the coming week – meaning both the new agriculture minister and commissioner are likely to be announced as the Dáil comes back from summer recess two weeks early.

‘Simon Coveney is fighting a losing battle to appear disinterested [in the EU post],’ the source said.

Fianna Fáil’s Charlie McConalogue is currently the favourite to replace former agriculture minister Dara Calleary who resigned last week.

‘Longer-term strategies need to be put in place’