Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their contributions in recent months. I refer to the issue of small rural pubs which may have already been raised. One pub in 15 is open and serving food. In one instance, people are travelling from approximately ten different parishes to the pub. Would we be better off if small pubs in rural areas were allowed to open such that people would not be travelling to pubs in such numbers? It would reduce the level of risk. Has that been considered?

A seroprevalence study involving 5,000 people was to be carried out in Sligo and Dublin. Have the results of the study been determined? Are they available? I understand it was started more than two months ago.

Following on from that issue, in Denmark testing has been incorporated into the blood donation programme such that donors are tested. As blood banks here collect donations all the time, has consideration been given to such testing in order to get a feel for tracking the virus across the country?

Have the consequences of the long-term effects whereby many people cannot get access to healthcare, such as cancer care or orthopaedics, been looked at? How can the provision of care be fast-tracked in areas where there are significant backlogs in accessing the treatment people require?