Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To respond to Deputy O'Donoghue, we are acutely aware of the percentages of people who have not turned up for tests. There is a lower percentage of people who have not turned up for a second test, which is also required. My understanding is that people who attend their GP clinic and say they are symptomatic are referred for a test, and that there is a very high compliance rate in such cases because they contact their GP and say they are worried. The rate is lower for close contacts where they do not feel any symptoms. I imagine there are a variety of reasons for people not turning up. The single most important step we can all take as public representatives is to get out the message again and again that while it is an inconvenience if somebody is contacted and told he or she is a close contact, while it is nobody's fault, given that the person could have been sitting beside somebody in a café, for example, and while it may scare people who would prefer not to know the result, we are in this together and everybody really needs to do this.

Engagement with nursing homes is ongoing and I am talking on an ongoing basis with Nursing Homes Ireland, as are various other parts of the system.

With regard to acute hospitals, let me take that point away and revert to the Deputy. It is an interesting question and it is something we would like to know. If existing information is available, I will ensure it is sent to the Deputy.

I might continue responding if I have enough time.

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