Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The issue of rooms with more than one person was raised. I appreciate that this is not ideal and it is certainly not suitable in these times. Beyond that, however, there are patients who do not want to be in single rooms. I appreciate that it may not be possible to facilitate that now but hopefully it will be possible at some point after we return to normality. I expect there will be patients, including one person who was very close to me until earlier this year, who are adamant that they do not want to share a room and be isolated. I wondered if HIQA, in laying out standards, considers this. People should not be forced to share a room but perhaps they should be able to do so. Does HIQA have a view on that?