Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha:

The best evidence of this is from Ms Murphy, who was in that situation. She was fully protected with PPE and still got infected, as did 12 of her colleagues. It is not just about availability. Availability was a real problem at the beginning. That improved, largely because of the work of the trade unions in this room. We sought that face masks should be mandatory for all healthcare workers. That is the point. The point is there are other reasons, and the HSA is the agency that should be examining what those reasons are. The committee can recommend that it now gets on this pitch. We have been asking for it. The Irish Congress of Trade Unions has been asking for it. The workforce is saying this is really serious. This is a hugely infectious pandemic and the agency that is entrusted with workers' welfare and ensuring that workers are safe when they go to work is not on the pitch. That is simply not fair.