S.I. No. 61/2021 - Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (Sporting Events, Training Events and other Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2021

Notice of the making of this Statutory Instrument was published in

“Iris Oifigiúil” of 16th February, 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 Justice, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Minister for Finance, the Minister for Transport, the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the Minister for Foreign Affairs,

hereby make the following regulations:

1. (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (Sporting Events, Training Events and other Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2021.

(2) These Regulations shall come into operation on the 12th day of February 2021.

2. In these Regulations –

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

“Regulations of 2021” means the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (Restrictions upon Travel to the State from Certain States) (No. 4) Regulations 2021 ( S.I. No. 44 of 2021 ).

3. Regulation 3 of the Regulations of 2020 is amended by the insertion of the following definition:

“ ‘Sport Ireland certification’ means a written certification that –

(a) is provided to a person by Sport Ireland for the purposes of these Regulations or any other Regulations made under the Health Act 1947 , and

(b) states that the person may participate in a sporting event specified in the certification, engage in training held in preparation for that sporting event, or both;”.

4. Regulation 10 of the Regulations of 2020 is amended, in paragraph (2)(b) –

(a) in clause (v), by the substitution of “Horse Sport Ireland,” for “Horse Sport Ireland, or”,

(b) in clause (vi), by the substitution of “Rásaíocht Con Éireann, or” for “Rásaíocht Con Éireann.”, and

(c) by the insertion of the following clause after clause (vi):

“(vii) is an athlete who is competing or playing in the sporting event and to whom a Sport Ireland certification relating to that event has been provided.”.

5. Regulation 11 of the Regulations of 2020 is amended, in paragraph (2) –

(a) in subparagraph (f), by the substitution of “Horse Sport Ireland,” for “Horse Sport Ireland, or”,

(b) by the insertion of the following subparagraph after subparagraph (f):

“(fa) is a person to whom a Sport Ireland certification has been provided for the purposes of so participating, or”, and

(c) in subparagraph (g), by the substitution of “(a) to (fa)” for “(a) to (f)”.

6. The Schedule to the Regulations of 2020 is amended, in paragraph 5 of Part 2 –

(a) in subparagraph (l), by the substitution of “Covid-19;” for “Covid-19.”, and

(b) by the insertion of the following subparagraph after subparagraph (l):

“(m) construction and development projects necessary for the provision of services by Forensic Science Ireland.”.

7. Regulation 10 of the Regulations of 2021 is amended, in paragraph (2), by the substitution of “relevant traveller” for “relevant passenger”.

8. Regulation 12 of the Regulations of 2021 is amended –

(a) in paragraph (2), by the substitution of “relevant traveller” for “relevant passenger”, and

(b) in paragraph (5), by the substitution of “section 31A” for “31A”.

9. Regulation 13 of the Regulations of 2021 is amended, in paragraph (4), by the substitution of “section 31A of the Act of 1947” for “the Act of 1947”.

GIVEN under my Official Seal,

12 February, 2021.

STEPHEN DONNELLY,

Minister for Health.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Instrument and does not purport to be a legal interpretation.)

These Regulations amend the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (No. 10) Regulations ( S.I. No. 701 of 2020 ), as amended. These Regulations provide for technical amendments in relation to approved sporting events, training events and permitted construction projects. They also provide for technical amendments to the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A - Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (Restrictions upon Travel to the State from Certain States) (No. 4) Regulations 2021 ( S.I. No.44 of 2021 ).