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

On 10 March, when Mr. Daly wrote asking that all transfers would be risk-assessed, medically assessed and tested for Covid-19 at the same time as the acute hospital sector was being emptied in preparation for the expected surge - very necessary work which we do not dispute - that was not done at that stage. In terms of the patients who were moved out, can Mr. Breslin timeline that for me? According to figures I have, 819 patients on the nursing homes support scheme were transferred from the acute hospital sector, which would be more than double the norm, so there was an escalated transfer of patients. In the month of March specifically, how many of those patients were tested for Covid-19 before they were transferred out?

How many were risk assessed and how many medically assessed? My next question might be one for Mr. Reid. On whose instruction were the patients transferred? It is my understanding that they were transferred without being tested. There was a big increase in the numbers and a concerted effort was made to clear the hospitals, so somebody was telling the discharge co-ordinators to discharge these patients to the care of nursing homes. Where did that instruction come from? The discharges could not have started spontaneously.