P.A.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said he personally does not support making vaccines mandatory.
The Northern Ireland Department of Health (DoH) is consulting on possible new legislation to deal with emerging public health emergencies such as coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
Concerns have been raised on social media that parliament plans to introduce mandatory vaccinations and mandatory quarantine as part of new legislation.
A campaign group has been formed to oppose the proposals, and MLAs have been inundated with letters and emails.
A ministry spokeswoman said the public consultation would “stimulate public debate”.
DUP MLA Diane Dodds called for the consultation to be halted, saying the proposals were a “huge overreach and should be rejected”.
BBC News NI is investigating the 79-page consultation to get to the bottom of some of the claims.
Why is this kind of consultation taking place?
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The DoH said the Public Health Act 1967 was outdated and too narrow and needed to be modernized.
Department officials undertook a review of the law in 2016, overseen by Chief Medical Officer Sir Michael McBride, and this consultation builds on recommendations from that review.
Once the consultation is complete, the Ministry of Defense will produce a draft bill which will then be debated at Stormont.
MLAs will then have the opportunity to discuss the bill and suggest amendments.
5 points for consultation
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1. Mandatory vaccines
This is the most controversial part of the talks and goes further than any previous legislation. There was a lot of opposition to this proposal online and from other politicians.
Article 143 states that “the regulations may impose special restrictions or requirements, such as requiring a person to undergo vaccination or other preventive treatment.”
In response to public backlash, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said he opposed making vaccination compulsory, but said: “It’s important that we consider all options.”
“I do not support mandatory vaccination, even in limited and strictly defined circumstances,” he said.
“Nonetheless, it is right to publicly discuss all possible options in a public consultation,” he added.
During the coronavirus pandemic, the Westminster government at one point moved to make vaccination compulsory for frontline NHS workers and care home workers, but Northern Ireland did not follow suit.
2. Power of entry
Some of the language in this section is ambiguous, leading to speculation that the proposed bill would give public health agency (PHA) officials the power to enter homes and seize personal belongings. .
Barr, some of this is not new.
The Public Health Act 1967 already allows police officers to enter “any premises” for the purpose of “ascertaining whether or not a breach of regulations has occurred”.
However, the consultation proposes strengthening these powers, including the ability to apply for warrants, use reasonable force, and take photographs and evidence.
However, these powers do not extend to private homes, although it does state that a court order would be required if a PHA wanted to enter your home for that purpose (Section 57C).
It is expected that MLAs will be heard pressing the minister on this issue during the parliamentary debate.
3. Meetings of people or groups
While you may be aware of some of these proposals for Covid regulations, they currently do not exist in any other legislation in Northern Ireland.
The PHA has the power to “notify individuals or groups asking them to do or refrain from doing anything for the purpose of preventing the spread of infection.”
There are no details on what groups will be included in this, but it could include church gatherings and protests.
The consultation also suggests that PHAs should be able to provide compensation or costs in connection with their requests.
If this authority is not in effect, the PHA may also file a lawsuit.
4. Children and principal
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According to article 145 of the consultation, “the Department proposes to make provisions that would give PHAs the power to require children not to attend school.”
Therefore, if a child becomes infected with an infectious disease, the PHA may order him or her not to attend school.
Another provision gives PHAs the power to require principals to provide a student’s name, address and contact phone number if they believe an infected person was on school property.
Headteachers who fail to provide the information could be fined £200.
BBC News NI education correspondent Robbie Meredith said during the coronavirus pandemic, school principals are expected to support PHAs with contact tracing and keeping infected children out of school. , said the threat of fines appears to be a new measure.
5. Detention in isolation
The idea of isolation and isolation in case of infection is not new, but critics have described Article 138 as “compulsory detention in isolation.”
The consultation also states that if a magistrate’s court orders someone to be quarantined and they leave quarantine, police officers may take them into custody and return them to the location where they were supposed to be quarantined. Suggests.
The Ministry of Defense said: “Existing legislation already allows an application for a court order from a magistrate to transport or detain a person with an infectious disease to a hospital.”
What does the Ministry say?
In a statement to BBC News NI, a spokesperson for the department said: “Northern Ireland needs to replace outdated public health laws that are more than 55 years old.
“We need legislation that covers biological, chemical and radiological infection and contamination and is in line with the rest of the UK.
“Bills emerging from the consultation will undergo the normal scrutiny process of the Northern Ireland Assembly, including detailed consideration by the health committee, parliamentary debate and subsequent vote by the full parliament.
“Public consultation stimulates public debate.”
The DoH also said that “important safeguards will be put in place to protect the rights of individuals.”
Consultations are being accepted until October 14th.
The ministry also published a fact sheet.
