Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Naughten for raising this issue, and I will direct the HSE to share with him any information it has. The HSE should do that and it should want to do that, because I believe it did everything it possibly could in this situation. I do not share the Deputy's view that the transfers were done to reduce bed blocking, or any similar phrase.

If we think back, there was a view that our hospitals were going to be very dangerous places, and often places where infections would be picked up. The idea, after looking at other countries, was to get people out of that situation. I will, however, certainly direct that that information be shared with the Deputy.

I do not wish to use up the Deputy's time.

Obviously, there are many ways an infection can get into a setting. There is the fact of visitors. The CMO has shown evidence regarding how that does not work. There are people being admitted and there is also the fact that staff must go into the setting to provide essential care and services. We need to avoid predetermining how the virus gets into those settings.

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