Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I agree. Deputy McGrath asked whether we need more Health and Safety Authority inspections. That is a question directly for the Minister, Deputy Varadkar, but I can give the Deputy my opinion as Minister for Health. As we look at the meat processing plants and other high-risk areas, I want to see as many inspections as possible to make sure high-risk workplaces in particular are compliant with the protocols that have been put in place. My preference is for unannounced inspections, for obvious reasons.

The Deputy asked why the pubs are closed. I share his frustration. It is not fair for publicans around the country, and I know that. The reality is we are dealing with a virus that is close to having us lock down the country again. The public health advice is that we are at a tipping point and we are doing everything we can to suppress this virus to stop a second lockdown, get the schools open, which we now have, keep businesses open, protect jobs, get the hospitals open and so forth. The public health advice and evidence are that in other countries, unfortunately, where the pubs have opened, they have been associated very quickly with outbreaks. That is the reason. I really do not want to be here saying that. I would like nothing more than to be announcing, and hopefully I will as soon as possible be announcing, that they have to be reopened.

The same applies unfortunately to dance schools. It is not about going after anybody; it is about trying to save lives. The measures the Government has brought in for this three and a half week period are based on the evidence that the National Public Health Emergency Team has on where and how this virus spreads. What it has found is that large indoor gatherings are one of the areas where this virus spreads, unfortunately. In being able to target that, what we are able to avoid is much wider shutdowns because our experts know more about the virus than they knew four or five months ago.

I fully agree with the Deputy on disability services, which are an absolute priority.

With regard to Golden, I want to respectfully push back. The Deputy has made comments about why it was set up there and that people are intimidated by the Garda and the National Ambulance Service coming in.

What happened was that an outbreak was detected very quickly and the healthcare services of the State were deployed in Tipperary almost instantly. All workers were sent home, isolated and tested. As a result of this ability to move quickly and comprehensively, we have the best chance of stopping the virus from spreading into the community in Tipperary. I understand the Deputy's questions and I know he is giving voice to the frustrations of the people he represents but on this particular issue I remind him that what happened in Tipperary was exactly what we have to see to suppress this virus, namely, the public health services working quickly and comprehensively to deal with the clusters as they emerge.