Covid-19: Ireland's health minister urged to reconsider NI meeting

The first and deputy first ministers have urged Ireland's health minister to reconsider his decision not to meet Robin Swann over Covid concerns about cross-border travel.

Mr Swann earlier said he was disappointed Stephen Donnelly had not met him despite a request.

He said he had issued a request more than two weeks ago.

On Monday night the Irish Department of Health said Mr Donnelly intended to meet Mr Swann this week if possible.

"Minister Donnelly has ongoing engagement with Minister Swann and responded to his most recent letter saying that there should be continued further engagement at official level ahead of a ministerial meeting," a spokesperson said.

"Officials met again as recently as Friday last, to discuss in particular the variant first discovered in India."

NI First Minister Arlene Foster said there needed to be a discussion about cross-border travel, pointing out the recent high incidence rates in the north west, which requires "ministerial leadership".

"We need to understand that and the only way to do that is to have a meeting and we were disappointed when Stephen Donnelly came back and said he wasn't going to meet, but his officials would meet," Mrs Foster said.

"I hope he reconsiders on that."

Deputy First Minister Michelle O'Neill said there needed to be a "health minister-to-health minister" conversation.

She said the joined-up approach across the island had not been as good as it should have been during the pandemic.

Mrs Foster and Ms O'Neill were speaking at the Strand Arts Centre in Belfast to mark the relaxation of further Covid restrictions on Monday, including the resumption of indoor hospitality and the reopening of cinemas.

Mr Swann told BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show on Monday there was still concern about the level of travel between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

"I had asked for a meeting with my counterpart in the Republic of Ireland to discuss this, to see what we could do jointly, in regards to that, and in regards to messaging that, but unfortunately I have been unable to secure that meeting with Stephen Donnelly yet," Mr Swann said.

Latest figures show that, as of 12 May, County Donegal had the second highest incidence rate of Covid-19 in the Republic of Ireland.

There has been a pause in the production of up-to-date figures due to a recent cyber attack on the Irish health service.

There have also been concerns over the pace of the vaccination programme in the Republic of Ireland compared with Northern Ireland.

There's no secret that there have been problems between the two jurisdictions in how Robin Swann and Stephen Donnelly have worked together.

Last month, Robin Swann sent a letter to Stephen Donnelly asking for co-operation on non-essential cross border travel.

Mr Swann was making the point that he felt there should be efforts to try and minimise that.

Clearly there have been difficulties in how these two departments have been operating.

It is a shocking admission from Mr Swann that he still has not been able to get a meeting between the two of them given how we know the virus has moved in the two jurisdictions.

Mr Swann said he had expressed his disappointment in the past to "some of the supports and cross-border working we have had, especially when it came to international travel".

As of Monday, travel within the Common Travel Area (CTA), which includes the Republic of Ireland, is now also permitted.

Mr Swann welcomed the relaxation of further restrictions, but warned that caution was still needed.

"The message today is to act responsibly in the relaxations that we've put in place," he added.