Sir, – I read with dismay that the Government has missed the deadline to participate in the EU Digital Certificate programme.
For a country supposedly at the forefront of digital technologies it is an absolute disgrace that Ireland will not be integrated with this key service that is vital for the Irish economy.
The reasons behind the delay being reportedly that the delay is because of the impact of HSE cyberattack simply do not stack up. The EU system is centralised and is not fully dependent on HSE data records. We have been informed that vaccine records were not affected by the attack and the vaccine programme was uncompromised. Further, the inter-operability of the service with the EU system does not require the personal data of a certificate holder to pass through the gateway hosted by the EU Commission’s service. Therefore, the only dependency is that basic records of vaccinations are maintained within the State, which we supposedly have intact.
Regardless of the impact on the Irish people of not being able to enjoy the benefits of ease of travel with the cert for work or leisure, the cost to the State for missed opportunities from in-bound tourism is unforgiving, particularly as the hospitality and tourism industry is on its knees. – Yours, etc,
JULIAN HAYES,
Venice,
Italy.