Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I will ask my questions first, before the time is gone. I said earlier that the shortage of reagent is the most critical issue to be addressed because everything else hinges on it. I have spoken to people in the scientific community here, and they have been very clear about the fact that two pharmaceutical companies, both of which have plants here, namely, Roche and Abbott, are the companies that possess or own the patent or formula.

It is just unbelievable that should be the case and that it is holding up the response not only in this country, but in others. The Taoiseach has said he has made some contacts; I do not know what they are. Are those companies being approached at a senior level to request that the formula for the reagent be made available? Scientists say that there are many laboratories in this country which could manufacture large quantities of the reagent if they had the formula. That would be the silver bullet. Has the Taoiseach made such an approach and, if so, what kind of a response has he got?

Unless we get to the level of 15,000 tests a day and develop capacity for end-to-end testing with fast turnaround, we will not get to the point at which we can consider lifting the restrictions. This has to be the number one priority. What is the Taoiseach doing about this? What is his strategy for getting to the point at which we will be able to do 15,000 tests a day? When does he expect that day to arrive?

I talked about the need for a task force to start planning the exit strategy. The Taoiseach told us that there was a Cabinet sub-committee and that this was the task force. That is not a task force. I am talking about a high-level task force that would draw expertise from a whole range of areas which would play into the critical decisions that need to be taken. When I talk about a cost-benefit analysis I mean "cost" in many different ways including social cost, economic cost and mental health cost. Many different issues play into this. With all due respect, a Cabinet sub-committee does not have that kind of expertise. We need to start planning for the exit strategy now, regardless of when it will be used. The fact is that it will not be used until we can do 15,000 tests a day, which brings us back to the question of the reagent, showing that all of these things are connected. Will the Taoiseach consider establishing a task force to plan such a strategy so that the country can start working its way out of the enormous restrictions that apply at the moment? As of now, all we are being told is that we are succeeding in flattening the curve but once restrictions start to be lifted that work will be undone. What exactly is the strategy?

It is hard for people to stomach the statement that there are copious amounts of PPE when care workers in facilities right across the country are being put in danger every day because of the absence of adequate PPE. Home help workers and home care workers are also being put in that terrible position because of an inadequate supply and inadequate distribution. The Taoiseach should correct what he said in that regard.

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