To ask the Minister of Health, in relation to the recent guidance relating to visitors arriving from within the Common Travel Area, (i) who will be responsible for ensuring that those required to self-isolate for 10 days do so; (ii) whether this is law or guidance; and (iii) why this decision was taken relative to other green-list countries.

There are currently no restrictions on travel within the Common Travel Area (CTA) and no plans to reintroduce restrictions in this area. If you're travelling from within the CTA and staying overnight in Northern Ireland, it is requested that you take a rapid lateral flow device test (LFD) before you begin your journey and on days two and eight of your stay. You should only travel if the test is negative. You should not travel to Northern Ireland if you have COVID-19 symptoms, or have received a positive COVID-19 result. You do not need to fill in a Passenger Locator Form if you’re travelling from within the CTA and you have not been outside the CTA in the last 10 days. If you're travelling from Northern Ireland to other regions of the Common Travel Area and staying overnight, we ask that you take a rapid lateral flow device test (LFD) before you begin your journey home and should only travel if the test is negative. After you return home you should take an LFD test on day two and day eight. You're also subject to the rules of the location to which you are travelling. Advice regarding this is available at CTA Travel Advice and is regularly updated.

When making decisions regarding restrictions, or relaxations of these, it needs to be weighed against family, societal and economic considerations. When considering restriction regulations, the Executive maintain the four principles that were agreed in May 2020: focus on purpose; necessity; proportionality; reliance on evidence. The purposes of the Regulations are (i) to protect the health of the population by limiting the spread of COVID-19 infection in order to minimise the numbers of cases and deaths, and (ii) to ensure as far as possible that the health care system has the capacity to care for COVID-19 patients and care for all patients, present and future. Scientific evidence used by the Executive for decision making purposes is now publically available: https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/covid-19-scientific-evidence.