Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 30 September 2020

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response

Business of Special Committee

Photo of Paul McAuliffePaul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I put to the Minister and Dr. Glynn a case from my own constituency, namely, the electoral district of Ballymun and Finglas. I use it as an example of how difficult it is to apply measures in the Dublin region, which is so large. That district has the highest level of the virus in Dublin, with 265 cases per 100,000. That is alarming locally. Sometimes there is a lack of understanding as to whether this is because of institutional clusters or particular outbreaks in the community. Can we provide greater transparency to help fight and to reduce that number? I want to put the point I made to the HSE yesterday to the witnesses today. My area struggles with access to GPs because there are not enough of them. Some parts of the constituency have very low levels of car ownership because of disadvantage, yet people are being sent to the National Show Centre or Croke Park and have to use public transport. Given that there is such a high rate of the virus in this small electoral district, could an argument be made for a mobile test centre in that area and would the witnesses consider that? Is it something on which Dr. Glynn will have to work with the HSE?

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