Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Our first thoughts today must again be with the families of those who have lost their lives during this pandemic. This virus has been every bit as deadly and destructive as was feared. Those who have been worst hit by it have, in most cases, not being able to receive the personal support and comfort that is so important at a time of loss. We have all witnessed the experiences of friends and others where the normal ritual of grieving and mourning could not apply or indeed where being with their loved ones at the end could not apply either. Our core duty remains doing everything we can to stop the spread of the virus, to care for those affected by it, and to support in every way possible the health workers, whose work has already saved thousands of lives.

Before addressing a range of issues concerning the public response to the virus now and in the months ahead, I welcome back Deputy McDonald. We hope her recovery will continue to be robust. It must have been a terrible time for her and her family. The lengthy delay in providing test results can only have made it even worse.

It appears that widespread community transmission of the virus has been contained for at least a few weeks. The fact that overall national figures have continued to be a concern links directly to a large number of specific care and other settings, which are referred to as hotspots in the reporting. Public support for comprehensive action has been strong from the beginning, which is one of the reasons exceptions to this have stood out when they have occurred. The strong political consensus behind action has been there from the beginning and remains intact. There have been many occasions where parties and Deputies have had serious concerns or questions, but the united response has been to raise these issues directly and to avoid allowing these issues to develop to the level of a public dispute. We have as a Parliament voted to limit our ability to work and to be a more active part of the debate about what is happening and what should be done. This has extended to much of the media, where there has been an active policy of seeking to raise concerns in a highly restrained way and to suspend many of the normally more assertive approaches to public issues.

What has not been commented on enough, though, is that this places a heightened obligation on Government in terms of the speed and transparency of its procedures and communications. Unfortunately, too often there has been a sense of resistance to being upfront about problems until a solution has been found. There have been too many cases of legitimate questions asked by Deputies and journalists being met by a lack of clarity or a deflection. In recognition of the extreme pressures being felt in parts of the system and a wish to protect the clarity and focus of the national response, these cases have not been allowed to accelerate into fuller disputes. However, it is important for everyone to understand that we are at a stage where the only way to proceed is to have a more open and inclusive debate about what is to be done.

There are a series of very significant decisions to be taken and we must move away from an approach that looks increasingly like one where decisions are to be taken first and discussion will only be allowed afterwards. Public and political support for decisions about what measures are to be taken can only be secured if there is a willingness to seek and listen to multiple views and if decisions, once made, are communicated more directly and with proper clarity as to the exact reasoning behind them. As we can see every day, there is a real and sustained debate in countries throughout Europe about future steps. This debate must be allowed here as well.

The key epidemiology statistics have confirmed that Ireland can now discuss what measures to retain, alter or lift. Equally, we must discuss what new measures may be required. Our first concern is that we have full, open and frank information about a series of critical issues. To understand the spread of the virus, to aid treatment and to be able to have confidence in reopening plans and gradually lift restrictions, we must have a comprehensive capacity to test and trace rapidly. What capacity is in place today and what is planned for the coming weeks and months? Is it planned to test the asymptomatic population, for example? What is the projected turnaround time in terms of such testing, because we know it is essential, as highlighted in several global papers?

The London School of Economics recently stated that the key to re-opening the economy and society is comprehensive testing with a rapid turnaround time.

Many Deputies have too often been contacted about emerging hotspots which have not been publicly acknowledged. As the Government is aware, the meat packaging sector has continued to operate due to its importance to food supply. Concerns have been raised for quite some time regarding the sector. There is a major hotspot in a plant, a significant cluster in the midwest, and this has caused particular concern. There are other such hotspots and I have raised them with the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Holohan, and the Minister, Deputy Harris. What is the role of the Health and Safety Authority in this regard? There is a separate issue regarding an asylum centre in Cahirsiveen where there seems to be a lack of engagement between the health authorities and the Department of Justice and Equality. There is significant concern and tension building up there with a cluster emerging. What is being done to revise work practices in such sectors in order to reduce the number of hotspots? What is the level of engagement at sectoral level to ensure that workers and the wider community have suitable protection and that cases are rapidly identified?

Last week in the Dáil and repeatedly in private communications Fianna Fáil raised the issue of nursing homes. The comprehensive testing response and other measures are welcome. What is the exact situation in nursing homes? The funding package announced some weeks ago is too bureaucratic and not in spirit with this crisis. It involves significant paperwork which has caused much annoyance in the sector. What percentage of nursing home residents have been tested? Has the enduring issue of personal protective equipment, PPE, for staff been addressed? What information has been given to residents and their families? I raised that issue two weeks ago and the points I made were subsequently confirmed publicly. As all Members are aware, healthcare workers in all settings have been put in danger by the lack of appropriate PPE and they, unintentionally, have put others in danger as a result. After a terrible period, progress was made but, unfortunately, there are still reports of substandard and unusable PPE being distributed. I seek clarity on this matter. Is there enough suitable PPE? What is the assessment of need for the coming months?

The issue of when and how to lift restrictions is a dominant topic throughout Europe. To raise it is not to deny the priority of limiting the spread of the virus and helping those who have it. I do not detect any complacency among the public. The process to date for discussing this matter has simply not been good enough. It risks things being done poorly or in a rushed manner. For example, we need more clarity on the wearing of masks. Respected and reputable international experts are advocating the wearing of masks and people are anxious to get clarity in that regard. Although we cannot risk taking supply away from healthcare workers, other countries have found alternative approaches. Studies published in recent days suggest that protocols for wearing homemade masks can form part of revised measures. Is the current position being reviewed? Will it be changed? This is not an issue on which everyone should remain quiet until a plan is implemented. There should be no tolerance for half comments, off-the-record briefings or partially leaked memos. We urgently need clarity on the process and the exact benchmarks to be used to trigger action. What process will be adopted to consult on options? In Germany, governments at regional and national level have implemented a process of bringing in industry groups and a diverse range of academics to come up with options. It is obvious that some groups will lobby, but we need external disciplines which can advise impartially within the overall parameters set by epidemiologists. This wider group is using its expertise to look at ways of restarting activities within those parameters. Such a process should start here.

The economic impact of the pandemic and the response to it has been severe. The impact on unemployment, incomes and public finances has been dramatic. It should be put on the record that action must be taken to protect the rights of workers and creditors, particularly where businesses appear to be using the crisis to implement long-term actions. The treatment of Debenhams workers has been appalling. I see nothing wrong with the highly responsible and restrained demonstrations which the workers have undertaken. Demonstrations which respect social distancing rules are reasonable and should not be prevented. The contrast between those responsible demonstrations by workers made redundant and the actions of the group which gathered outside the Four Courts on Tuesday could not be more dramatic.

The situation in respect of public exams must be clarified once and for all.

Instead of partial announcements, we need some certainty, even if this certainty includes conditionality around the level of spread of the virus at different dates. I have not met any person who is looking for a light switch moment when it comes to lifting restrictions. Equally, there is no air of complacency among the overwhelming majority of the public. There is still a national resolve to get through this to limit the virus's damage and to protect ourselves from future outbreaks. We need clarity today about the current status of the virus in our community, our testing and tracing capabilities, and measures to protect healthcare workers. We also need much greater clarity on how we decide where to go from here. Just as our response to the pandemic has been a shared national effort, so too must be the process of planning and implementing measures to limit future risk and restart much of our daily lives.

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