Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have very strong views on that topic, but we could be here all day discussing them. I want to address several pressing issues with the Minister. I am conscious time is tight. I am sharing time with Deputies Ward and Paul Donnelly, dividing the slot into seven minutes, four minutes and four minutes. I hope we can ask our questions in the seven minutes and if the Minister cannot then respond, I hope he will respond in writing. I want to be respectful to my colleagues and their time. Can he please issue a directive today to hospitals to ensure that nurses, who went on strike, fought hard for their pay increases and deserve them, get them? It is utterly ridiculous at this stage. It is all very nice to stand in here and give them a round of applause, but, as I said previously, nothing conveys appreciation for the work they do like decent pay and conditions. Nurses fought hard for these pay increases and I hope the Minister will be in a position to issue a directive today to say that they should be paid.

I have two questions about nursing homes. How many people have been seconded to the nursing home sector from the HSE to date? The Minister has given the figure of 200. I had a different figure given to me by the HSE, however. I want to know the up-to-date figures and I also want to know if the Minister is planning to second a geriatrician or a geriatric consultant to work in any of the nursing homes. They have spoken to me and have said they are willing to do this work. Their expertise will be invaluable in this regard and the Minister should look at that issue.

My next question concerns a decision to move patients from hospitals into nursing homes at the very start of this pandemic. Patients were moved from hospitals into nursing homes.

Yesterday, on a conference call, I was told by the HSE that every patient who was to move to a nursing home would not be moved until he or she had two tests negative for Covid-19. Will the Minister confirm if that was the case from the very beginning? I lost a relative who died in a nursing home of Covid-19. His family and others in the nursing home are convinced that Covid-19 came into the nursing home when patients were initially transferred. Last night, Dr. Holohan seemed to row back a bit on this and suggest this may not have applied to all patients.

I have two questions on testing. I have said before and I do so again that the Government must stop blaming people for the fact that they are starting in some way to think about the relaxation of restrictions. The Minister and others in government put this thought into people's heads. There were mixed messages and I know that although work is being done to prevent it now. We did hear mixed messages about the schools reopening.

I am mindful of the view recorded in the NPHET minutes, indicating that all "agree that testing and tracing is critical to tackling the virus spread". We know testing and tracing is important. Will the Minister state if the capacity is in place to move from disease surveillance testing to actively testing in the community so we can identify the total spread and transmission of Covid-19 and then contact trace every person involved?

My second question concerns the contact tracing app. I am a big fan of this app and I want it to work. I want maximum buy-in but we should be honest, as the Government has not exactly covered itself in glory with respect to data protection, particularly when we consider the public services card. We need maximum buy-in so I ask that the data protection impact assessment be published well in advance and that the Government will allow organisations like the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, Digital Rights Ireland and those with an expertise and interest in ensuring this is done right to give full input.

My final question relates to non-Covid-19 mortality rates. Has there been an increase in non-Covid deaths compared with the same death rates for this period last year or in other years? There is a worry among patient representative organisations that there may be significant health deterioration and even additional fatalities as data indicate a significant reduction in people accessing health care.

I have two people very close to me who are at home cocooning. I would feel much more comfortable when they can eventually come out if all the people around them were wearing masks. Has the Minister a view on the wearing of masks in the community? Will there be a steady and available supply of those masks so we might all be able to comply?

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