Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 10) (Amendment) Regulations 2021

• Jurisdiction: Ireland
• Citation: IR SI 4/2021
• Year: 2021

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 12th January, 2021.

I, STEPHEN DONNELLY, Minister for Health, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by sections 5 and 31A (inserted by section 10 of the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 (No. 1 of 2020)) of the Health Act 1947 (No. 28 of 1947) and -

(a) having regard to the immediate, exceptional and manifest risk posed to human life and public health by the spread of Covid-19 and to the matters specified in subsection (2) of section 31A, and

(b) having consulted with the Minister for Transport, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Justice, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media,

hereby make the following regulations:

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 10) (Amendment) Regulations 2021.

(2) These Regulations, other than Regulation 6(2)(a), shall come into operation on the 8th day of January 2021.

(3) Regulation 6(2)(a) shall come into operation at 6.00 p.m. on the 8th day of January 2021.

2. In these Regulations, “Principal Regulations” means the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 10) Regulations 2020 ( S.I. No. 701 of 2020 ).

3. Regulation 3 of the Principal Regulations is amended by the insertion of the following definitions:

“ ‘approved housing body’ means an approved housing body within the meaning of the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019 (No. 47 of 2019);

‘childcare pairing arrangement’ has the meaning assigned to it by Regulation 6A;

‘local authority’ means a local authority within the meaning of section 2 of the Local Government Act 2001 (No. 37 of 2001);”.

4. Regulation 4 of the Principal Regulations is amended, in paragraph (2), by the substitution of the following subparagraph for subparagraph (f):

“(f) access crèche or other childcare facilities, including those provided as part of a childcare pairing arrangement,”.

5. The Principal Regulations are amended by the insertion of the following Regulation after Regulation 6:

“Childcare pairing arrangements

6A. (1) Subject to paragraph (2), a specified household (the ‘first household’) may agree with one other household (the ‘second household’), which may include another specified household, that each household may be treated as part of a childcare pairing arrangement for the purpose of -

(a) the first household providing childcare to the second household, or

(b) each household providing reciprocal childcare to the other household,

and the first household and the second household shall, in these Regulations, each be referred to as being part of a ‘childcare pairing arrangement’.

(2) Where a specified household makes an agreement with another household in accordance with paragraph (1) -

(a) neither such household may already be a part of a childcare pairing arrangement, and

(b) neither such household may subsequently agree to be part of a childcare pairing arrangement with any other household.

(3) In this Regulation -

‘essential worker’ means a person who works, complies with a contract of employment or contract for services, or otherwise engages in work or employment where such work, compliance or engagement relates to an essential retail...