Mr. Éamonn Donnelly:

To complement Ms Monahan's contribution, I was on a call with the HSE last week in which we were informed that while the word "mandatory" might be a little over-assertive, there will be a new vaccination with four dimensions to it rather than the usual three which every healthcare worker will be "expected to avail of". That is encouraging and the trade unions have their part to play there too.

I wonder about the decision to stand down the Citywest facility, where there were 300 beds we went out and had a look at. The construction of that facility was a phenomenal piece of work that showed everybody what could be done. When the numbers were reduced in terms of Covid-19 surely it would have been a way of anticipating a flu surge, for example, from the autumn onwards. I thought it was a strange decision.