Ms Edel McGinley:

I would like to highlight two further concerns regarding the HSA and the HSE in terms of contact tracing and the gross violation of people's confidentiality when their data were shared with employers first instead of with the workers themselves after testing positive for Covid-19. It was a serious breach of people's rights. We were concerned to hear revelations made by one director of public health that showed a level of institutional racism and discrimination that led to this serious breach. Essentially, it would have taken too long to talk to workers through an interpreter and tell them that they had Covid-19. State agencies have a public sector duty to provide equal access to services. As such, we are gravely concerned about this approach taken by the HSE.

We are also deeply concerned about the approach taken by the HSA. It received a number of complaints over the month of April, yet no inspections were carried out until the week of 19 May. Indeed, no sector-specific guidelines were put in place until 15 May even though this sector had been deemed essential from the outset. Surely a risk assessment should have been carried out and some guidelines should have been put in place. It is a sector where people work shoulder to shoulder and it is high intensity and labour intensive.

We question the approach that was taken by the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Health and Business, Enterprise and Innovation. A part of the problem is that a number of Departments are involved. It is an interdepartmental issue but seems to be falling between a few stools.

If there are more outbreaks, we will call for the closure of plants, which has only happened in one case. Equally, we would like a task force to be set up to examine terms and conditions for workers in the sector, where State funding to the sector goes, increasing pay for workers and, at a minimum, giving them bonuses for providing essential work during this period.

We would like labour inspectors and HSA inspectors to carry out unannounced inspections. One of the main problems is that inspections are announced. Nothing is found, people can scarper across the floor and workers are told to make themselves scarce. They are then left in the dark as to the outcomes of those inspections.

I thank the committee, and we welcome members' questions.