Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 23 June 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Update on the Cyberattack, Covid-19 Vaccination Roll-out and Covid-19 Restrictions in Maternity Hospitals: Health Service Executive

Photo of David CullinaneDavid Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome all of our witnesses. I commend the HSE and Mr. Reid and staff across all of our health services on their work in what has been an horrendous year and a half, from Covid to the cyberattack. Staff have gone above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that people get the best services that can be provided. It is a very difficult time, but Mr. Reid will understand the frustration of Members of the Oireachtas regarding access to information. There is an understanding that the cyberattack interrupted access to information. That is accepted. I welcome that Mr. Reid is here and that parliamentary questions to the Department of Health have resumed. A lot of work remains to done in the context of repairing the damage caused by the cyberattack.

I welcome the lifting of restrictions in respect of maternity visits and people accompanying their expectant partners. That is a huge relief to many. I am taking Mr. Reid and the HSE at their word in terms of the direction that has been given to maternity hospitals. We very much hope those restrictions will be eased and we will see consistency across all maternity hospitals. That is good news.

I first want to pick up on the cost of the cyberattack. I accept that Mr. Reid may not yet know the full cost in this regard because it is a moving feast and there are many different parts to it, including the medical cost, the human cost and the financial cost. In terms of the financial cost, Mr. Reid mentioned €100 million. Does that relate to 2021?