Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My first question is on the same issue I raised earlier, namely, that of nursing homes. We learned last night that eight people died from Covid-19 in the Maryborough Centre in Portlaoise at the weekend. There are 200 clusters of the virus and more than half of those who have, unfortunately, died as a result of the virus have died in these types of settings in care homes across the State. It is a massive issue, which we need to address, and we need some transparency on it. Staff in the sector have been raising serious questions, relating to PPE in particular, for quite some time. When we speak to HSE officials, they tell us there is nothing to see here, but unfortunately we know from some of the revelations that there is much to see.

The Nursing Homes Ireland survey showed that nearly one third of facilities were still awaiting PPE supplies and a quarter of those that had received them stated that they were not fit for purpose. We know that staff at the Maryborough Centre were raising concerns publicly about PPE two weeks ago.

Will the Taoiseach give us more specifics about what is being done to deal with what is now a massive challenge for us in the nursing home sector? Will the Government publish information on the PPE that has been provided to such settings? Will staff be deployed today, tomorrow or some other time to support the efforts to contain the spread of the virus and to support the staff?

Did the expected second tranche of PPE that the Taoiseach informed us was due to arrive on 12 April arrive? I understand that it might not have done so. The shipment was worth over €60 million. Is it delayed or has it arrived and, if not, when will it arrive?

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