Dáil debates

Thursday, 8 October 2020

8:00 pm

Photo of Matt CarthyMatt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

That was the only information for which I asked. Will the Minister ask one of his media monitors to go through the Twitter feeds of political correspondents from Monday regarding the response from Government sources to the NPHET recommendation of the evening before? It was an outright attack. It was broadcast live to every home in the country that had "Claire Byrne Live" on a television set last Monday when the Tánaiste launched an unprecedented attack.

The Minister will be aware that I have raised the issue of meat plants and food processing factories a number of times. I have a major concern that we might be better off if we had handled the situation better. Some testing has taken place in meat plants. Last month, 109 positive cases emerged from testing in meat factories where each of the cases was asymptomatic. That gives a sense of the potential issues. We do not know how many cases there were in factories where there was no testing.

I am afraid that no Department is willing to take on this matter. My fear is exacerbated by the fact that, on 6 August, NPHET agreed the interim recommendations of the "Investigation into a Series of Outbreaks of COVID-19 in Meat Processing Plants in Ireland". Like me, the Covid-19 committee and others have been asking for that report to be published. This week, the committee received a notification from the HSE that the report still would not be published. Why not? Will the Minister endeavour to ensure that it is?

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.