Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank both witnesses for their evidence and for being here. We know how busy they are, and I thank them for giving us their time. I propose to do as was done previously. I will ask my questions and if we have time for an interaction, that is fine.

Yesterday we began the reopening of the economy. I am conscious that 100,000 construction workers are going back to work, which will pose a challenge for them in their workplaces and for their families when they go home. It will also pose a broader public health challenge. We are aware that specific guidelines for the operation of construction sites are in place. Later we will have a conversation with people about how they will be enforced. Is there a specific plan to test and trace those people who are now going back to work? I am sure the witnesses will agree testing and tracing are much easier when the country is on pause or shut down. Now as the economy begins to reopen, is a specific plan in place to cater for the numbers of people who will now be moving around and who previously had not been doing that?

We note the specific plan in place for construction workers. Is there similar guidance and advice for transport workers, postal workers and other people who will now be going to work and will have more work to do. Transport workers will be bringing people to and from work. It has struck me that - maybe it is necessarily so - some of the measures have been reactive rather than proactive. I would have thought the officials would have used the time on pause to make preparations for reopening the economy. I ask the witnesses to outline those specific preparations, in line with protecting the health, safety and welfare of those workers who will be returning to work out of necessity in the coming days. Indeed, some were back at work yesterday.

With regard to healthcare workers, the latest figure I had heard was an infection rate of around 25% to 30% among our healthcare workers. That is very concerning and I am sure the witnesses are also very concerned about that. I ask them to comment on how they think that happened, because it is not in line. I have heard members of the Government and others make comparisons between us and South Korea and other countries. We can make all the comparisons we like, but as far as I am aware nowhere else is that figure as high. I ask the witnesses to comment on how it got so high among our healthcare workers and what specific measures are in place. Is it due to the chronic understaffing we had as we came into this? Is that a factor?

I will not go over the reported tensions between the Department and the HSE. All those have been well ventilated in the public domain. I refer to reports following publication of the letter that there would be twice-weekly phone calls between the CMO, the head of the HSE and the Secretary General. Are those phone calls happening? Are the witnesses finding them useful? Are they minuted and if so, can they be published so we can all be up-to-date on it?

I have a question on nursing homes. According to the Minister for Health, on 19 February Paul Reid met the director of Nursing Homes Ireland. What actions were taken? It strikes me that some time was lost and that the measures put in place in the nursing home sector were, as I have previously described, reactive rather than proactive. It would seem the opportunity existed on 19 February.

Were the witnesses aware of that meeting, were they briefed and what specific actions were taken as a direct result?