Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

On 5 March, Dr. MacLellan indicated: "There is a Department briefing ...and I have asked that you are invited - I hope to see you there." The reply from Mr. Daly states:

Thank you Kathleen,

I acknowledge commitment to ensure that residents and staff in the private and voluntary nursing home sector are encompassed in all Government planning.

There is some correspondence back and forth. On 5 March, Mr. Daly states:

Thank you for [the] invitation to [the] stakeholder briefing in the Department tomorrow. I can confirm that a number of our members participated in a conference call with Dr. Siobhán Kennelly [in the] HSE this afternoon ... I would appreciate a quick [update].

The correspondence continues and I do not want to take the committee's time by going through this in detail that is too great. On 10 March, however, there is a letter from the Secretary General of the Department of Health, which states:

I refer to your letter of 9 March.

As part of preparedness planning for Covid-19 we are examining a range of work force issues and I have asked relevant officials to look [at that]

This is in early March, when Mr. Daly indicates that his organisation felt isolated. There is correspondence on 10 March at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. The correspondence continues, indicating that guidance was issued on 10 March and Mr. Daly thanks Dr. MacLellan for the correspondence indicating that guidance was issued. How is it precisely that Nursing Homes Ireland felt isolated? All this correspondence is from a period between 2 March and 10 March. Was it the particular engagement of the Minister that Mr. Daly sought?