Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am aware that direct provision comes under the Department of Justice and Equality but public health testing for Covid-19 and guidance for tackling the disease comes under the Minister's Department. Will the Minister answer the following questions directly?

Does the Minister believe it was right that residents located in four different emergency accommodation centres across Dublin were transferred to the direct provision centre at Cahersiveen without being tested for Covid-19? Was there infection in any of these emergency accommodation centres prior to those residents coming to Cahersiveen? Why was there a delay in testing after the initial confirmed cases in the Cahersiveen direct provision centre? Why has the HSE not been forthcoming with information? The biggest fear people have with matters like this is not knowing. Does the Minister agree this matter has been very poorly handled? Does it not go completely against the advice of the National Public Health Emergency Team, the HSE and the Department to have members of different families self-isolating in the same room?

It is clear where you cannot have one person to one room, self-isolation is simply not possible.

In the interest of public health, which is now clearly at risk, will the Minister recommend to the Department of Justice and Equality that this direct provision centre should close immediately? This centre is not good for residents for whom I have considerable sympathy. It is also of grave concern to the people of Cahersiveen and the greater Iveragh Peninsula in south Kerry with more than 20 confirmed cases in the centre, if that is correct.

I am acutely aware of the privacy surrounding individuals and all of that. At the same time there is no reason the HSE should not confirm the number of cases. We have all heard 20, 22 and different figures. Let the HSE confirm that. How many confirmed cases are there? How many tests were undertaken? The Minister should always tell the truth about all these matters. Have all the people who were tested and proved positive gone to a centre in Cork or is that not correct? Are they somewhere else in County Kerry? As long as the Minister is not forthcoming with all the information, then that creates a vacuum.

I raised this with the Taoiseach earlier. I also spoke directly to the Minister for Justice and Equality today, as I did last Monday, about this matter. This is of the utmost importance, not just for the Department of Justice and Equality, the Department of Health and the HSE but also for the users of the facility who were sent there. They did not choose to go there; they were sent there. It is also important to their neighbours and to the people who have lived in Cahersiveen and the greater Iveragh Peninsula all their lives. All they want from all the Departments is to be told the truth surrounding all this. No matter how much it is beaten, twisted and turned, if it is wrong it will stay wrong. I ask the Minister to please deal with this and I will give him plenty of time to answer.

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