Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like others, I express my condolences to those who have lost loved ones in recent weeks. I thank the front-line medical personnel who have done exceptional work on our behalf. I have one question, which is on the theme of care homes. It has been covered already but I ask the Taoiseach, and Members of the House, because it is not a question the Taoiseach alone can answer, given the circumstances we are in at present, that a real and lasting collective effort be made to ensure care home facilities throughout the State are of a standard suitable for the treatment of vulnerable persons. I particularly reference hygiene. We have an awful lot of public and private care facilities throughout the State which are in very antiquated buildings and which house our nearest and dearest, who are individuals who have put in a lifetime of effort into the country and their families. It is appropriate that the House would consider how we might support that sector and improve public and private facilities throughout the State to ensure even the annual flu season is tackled in a most appropriate setting, but also most acutely, in this environment during a pandemic, that we are mindful of what investment we can bring to bear as a Legislature in future to ensure these facilities throughout the State are up to a standard with which we as individuals would be happy, never mind the tens of thousands of persons housed in them.

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