Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is good, as the Deputy says, that we have had low use of it so far but I take the point it is not sustainable that this continues to be the case. The low occupancy rates to date are a direct impact of the public health measures we had. I remember standing in what would have been that field hospital in Citywest with the Taoiseach and the CEO of the HSE, thinking "It is great we have it but I hope we never have to use this."

We do, as the Deputy rightly says, have use of this facility until at least the end of October. A decision has to be made by 23 June as to whether to extend that beyond that date. The Department has been preparing for all potential scenarios and there have been talks between the Department, the HSE and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to alternative site uses in the event of a low surge requirement, which we now have, and there is due to be an alternative use strategy presented to my Department by the HSE next week. I accept we have it until the end of October. There has to be better use. We also need to make a decision on whether we will need it through the winter period and that will very much depend on how compelling is the case the HSE puts forward in terms of what it will use it for. It is a hotel. Largely speaking, it is not a clinical environment. When it comes to step-down facilities and providing people with convalescence and the likes, we often do not have enough capacity. That, to me, seems like an option worth exploring but next week the HSE is due to present its alternative use strategy.

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