Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I commend this motion and welcome the opportunity to support families' calls for a full public inquiry into nursing home deaths during this awful pandemic. From the outset, I have been anxious and worried about how the Covid pandemic was handled in our nursing homes. That is why almost a year ago, during one of my first speeches, I called on the then Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, to establish a quick, Scally-type inquiry into what happened. My constituency of Kildare North took a disproportionate, awful and terrible hammering. I am glad to say that each of the lives lost was recognised and dignified by our coroner in Kildare, Professor Denis Cusack.

Some people have been vocal about avoiding an inquiry as they are anxious that blame not be attached, but an inquiry is not about blame - at least not for me. This was a novel virus, after all. However, it is about accountability and finding out exactly what happened so we can avoid it happening again. If we do not learn, we cannot prevent and avoid. In the first wave of the pandemic, 67 men and women in my constituency were transferred from hospitals without testing. That was entirely unacceptable, then and now. It was a grave error and omission that cannot happen again.

We need a radical rethink of our eldercare. Just like housing, the need for care when aged is left to the mercy of international wealth fund jackals. The fragility and care of our older people should not be profited from or privatised. Let us have an inquiry and find out the truth. Let us find out what happened so we can learn the lessons. Let this House honour our dead and all who loved and miss them.

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