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

I wish to take the opportunity to thank everyone and to thank the witnesses, not just for their attendance today and the preparation for it, but for all the work they have done over this period. The exceptional work and commitment to public service epitomises public service values, has been extraordinary and they have worked extraordinarily hard. If I never got to say anything else on this, I would just want to say this to the witnesses and to thank them. Mr. Breslin and I worked together a very long time ago and I know very well that often, the level of work that goes on behind the scenes in Departments is not always reflected in public.

I wish to ask about the sequence. It is worth remembering, as it seems that we have moved on collectively very quickly from the terrible situation which we faced at the outset. There was a global pandemic with numbers rising, ICU admissions were rising and there was evidence from other countries of ICU capacity being overwhelmed. That would have resulted in exceptionally difficult decisions. It was on that basis that the decision was made to take over the private hospitals.