Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

My party leader, Deputy Kelly, could not join us this morning so he asked me to take these questions. I have not had the opportunity to wish the Minister well in his role but want to do that now. He and his colleagues have a major task ahead. Some of the suggestions that he makes are positive and we will support them, but we will also critique, analyse and provide alternatives to the propositions that he brings forward, as any constructive Opposition party should, especially in the face of the threats that we are facing.

I want to ask the Minister a series of questions in the first few minutes I have. Will he commit, as our party leader, Deputy Alan Kelly, has suggested, to providing the flu vaccine free of charge to everybody in the country? This would be a useful way to protect people from the flu virus and to ensure that our emergency departments are not inundated during the autumn and winter in the flu season.

There is stunning and shocking evidence, as provided by SIPTU and other health service unions at the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response this week, about the levels of infection of Covid-19 for healthcare workers across the system. There was concerning evidence that suggested that healthcare workers were in essence putting themselves and patients at risk through no fault of their own because they were showing up to work while experiencing symptoms, because of their dependence on premiums and allowances, given the low levels of core pay for low-paid health service workers in our public sector. Will the Minister commit that that issue will be addressed in the context of any future potential public sector pay deal that he may be considering?

The rate of infection for healthcare workers is one of the very concerning aspects we have seen over the last months. We have lost eight healthcare workers through Covid-19 since the pandemic started. I extend my sympathies to the family and friends of Dr. Syed Waqqar Ali who fell this week. I say "fell" because he fell in the line of duty. Dr. Ali put the public and his patients first. Clearly he contracted Covid-19 as a result of his work.

I am aware the Minister is developing a compensation package for the families of healthcare workers who have lost their lives as a result of Covid-19. What is the Minister's view on extending this to contracted workers in the health service? At least one such worker, a contract cleaner, lost his life as a result of contracting Covid-19. These workers have no death-in-service benefit so it is important that we extend that to contract workers.

Will the Minister make a clear statement on his view on the classification of Covid-19 as an occupational illness? This would elevate Covid-19 somewhat with regard to the legal framework. It would allow healthcare workers who contract Covid-19 in the workplace to get better healthcare, it would provide a better focus around health and safety procedures in the workplace, it would provide a role for the Health and Safety Authority with an inspection regime and it would also provide access to compensation measures in the normal way that occupational illnesses do. I ask the Minister to consider this. The International Trade Union Confederation has demanded this. The policy has also been adopted by other, analogous European Union member states. I believe that Ireland should follow suit.

Will the Minister please consider a proposal made by the Labour Party leader, Deputy Alan Kelly, which is absent from the July stimulus programme, to provide a €1,000 bonus to health care workers. That would cost some €100 million, which is small beer in the context of the €5.4 billion cash injection announced yesterday. It would be an appropriate recognition of the contribution made by our health service workers during this time. If it was considered, I ask that it would be extended to our nursing home staff who predominantly work in the private sector but who have made an enormous contribution, often in very difficult circumstances during the pandemic, keeping older people safe in very challenging circumstances, as we all know.

Will the Minister give his view on my persistent calls for a commission of inquiry into what happened at Dealgan House in Dundalk? The Minister will be familiar with this case, where 22 residents passed away as a result of Covid-19. I was very taken by the interview of the assistant director of nursing in Dealgan House by Pat Kenny on 10 July. She painted a picture of a very traumatic scenario in March and April when on some days two residents were dying each day. There were traumatised staff and traumatised families running around looking for support from HIQA and the HSE. The cavalry came far too late, in my view. It is a shame that staff, who are still traumatised over their experience, and struggling staff and families, are looking for answers through freedom of information requests and parliamentary questions from Deputies like me who represent Louth and Meath East. The only way we can get to the bottom of what happened at Dealgan House is to ensure we take the approach of a commission of inquiry to look at what happened in its totality and in a holistic way. If we are to learn anything about how we respond to crises such as this we need to front up, get all the information together, get all the key actors in the one room and hold a commission of inquiry-type approach. This could be done under the existing legislation very quickly and comprehensively. Families are entitled to answers.

See this speech in context