Ms Oonagh Buckley:

It was planned from August. It was agreed at NPHET's request that the HSE would do a round of serial testing, bearing in mind that in any case where there were suspected cases or positive cases there would have been extensive testing in individual centres. In terms of serial testing across the direct provision system, that was organised over the space of a few weeks. We had to co-operate very closely with the HSE to get it done. It raised technical issues for the HSE that were difficult. It was rolled out very intensively. There were very limited positive results from it. Many thousands of people were tested as part of that serial testing but the rates found were not sufficient and the HSE subsequently recommended to NPHET, and it was agreed, that it would not be an exercise that would be repeated.