James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for being here today to discuss the potential for the extension of the emergency powers that were enacted to try to protect people from contracting Covid-19 and to deal with the ongoing crisis that faces the country and the rest of the world. It is important to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of healthcare and other workers who have been working on the front line of the Covid-19 crisis in different sectors. In particular, I mention An Garda Síochána, the HSE and hospitals.

We are in a precarious position, as has been stated by some responsible Deputies. I have listened carefully to the debate over the past hour. I am not sure I am entirely happy with what I have heard some Opposition Members say about the Government's measures. However, above all else, there is an acknowledgement by every Member that enforcing lockdowns is an horrifically blunt instrument that we do not want to see. We are all aware of how much damage it does to people's mental health and well-being, as well as to the economy. The economy has been one of the topics of lesser importance relating to Covid-19, which is welcome; it is all about people's health, which is only right.

I have continually supported the measures the Government has introduced on the basis that it was in the best interests considering the situation in which we found ourselves. I do not want us to be back in that situation again but that is outside the control of every politician here. I am far from an expert. Looking around the Dáil, very few people are qualified with specific knowledge in epidemiology and other areas of medicine. It is important for us to listen to expert advice, which can be contested and which is not always right.

As a member of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Transport and Communications, I have frequently raised the issue of NPHET's hesitancy on antigen testing, which was an enormous mistake. I have travelled a little in Europe recently while it has been safe to do so primarily for reasons of work. Other countries have a very open attitude to antigen testing. The benefit of hindsight is great but it was clearly spelled out by many different experts that antigen testing had a significant role to play in trying to limit the spread of Covid-19. It unacceptable that we have waited until now to roll out a proper State-backed antigen system. There are flaws with it.

Unfortunately, in my area at the moment we have significant and concerning outbreaks of Covid-19. It is also concerning that younger primary schoolchildren seem to be the source of many cases. I ask the Minister to take this point away even if he does not listen to anything else I have said. He needs to speed up the rate at which the HSE sends antigen tests to houses. I have heard of multiple cases locally where people have been waiting for an unacceptable period from the point of getting a phone call from the HSE regarding contact tracing to antigen tests being posted out.

I ask the Minister to fix that and put his shoulder to the wheel on the matter because it will save lives. It is very important.

It will be important over the next number of months to have an open and cross-party conversation with the Irish media about communicating the international position around Covid-19. Bad and all as it has been in Ireland, we must put it in perspective as well. It has been difficult for all age groups in society, and I speak as one of the younger Members in the Oireachtas. Internationally, Covid-19 cases are taking a concerning trajectory. The latest data from Israel seems to indicate a glimmer of hope around the effectiveness of the booster shot. I would like to see a better focus, whether it is once every two or three weeks, with a briefing given to people on what is going on in different countries.

Everybody is so busy with their own lives. I do not blame people who are working and raising families. They may be up the walls with their own lives. Nevertheless, it is important for public buy-in to what we are trying to achieve, which is to limit a major outbreak of Covid-19 in the country and preventing ourselves from going into another lockdown. It is about using the legislation we are debating, and it will be quite important over the next number of months. There is no question that it does damage and we must consider its importance. Only yesterday there were more than 2,800 cases, with approximately 500 people being treated in our hospitals. We have yet to see the full extent of the winter flu and other pressures that generally come on our health system in the winter months. It is an important point to be made.

I hope we will get through the next 12 months with Covid-19 behind us. I had thought it would be the case by now but, unfortunately, it has not been. Building resilience in our healthcare system will be important. One of the greatest impacts the Minister could make would be to consider issues affecting recruitment of healthcare professionals in our system to try to improve efficiency or how easy it would be for people to come to the Republic of Ireland to work in that system. That is whether people are Irish citizens who have trained or gained qualifications in universities or other institutes in the country that teach the skills required to work in healthcare or people who come to Ireland as foreign citizens. This is an arduous process and it is not helping the health system to get in the specialists we require in many different areas so we can bolster our healthcare service in Ireland. Facing the public ahead of the next general election, I would like to be in a position to say this Government made a profound effort to try to improve the efficiency of our existing healthcare service by improving the process of getting a job in the system if a person has appropriate skills.

It is important we reference the booster shot campaign and I welcome the moves made in providing booster shots to those deemed as vulnerable. I encourage the Minister to continue working in that regard so people of all age groups who would like to get the booster shot can have it made available to them once the epidemiological advice indicates it is in their best interests for that to happen.

I referred earlier to the question of younger children contracting Covid-19. In my municipal district there was one significant case, although I will not identify the location. Covid-19 outbreaks in primary and secondary schools are a concern. I had the opportunity to engage with people who have been working, and I acknowledge lobbying in some cases, to see the introduction of some type of air purification systems. I am not an expert on the point but the point is worth making. It is one of the few cases of lobbying I have experienced as a Deputy where individuals are seeking something that may be in the public interest and where the Government could act on it.

I would like the Department of Health and NPHET to give further consideration to air purification systems. I was in some European countries recently where such systems have been rolled out and backed by governments. We have CO2 systems in our schools but we know airborne transmission is one of the key concerns in the spreading of Covid-19 and it is responsible for the vast majority of cases. Consideration of such systems would be worth the effort, time and resources of the Department.

The next couple of months may leave us in quite a precarious position. I do not know if I fully agree with some of the measures taken. I am concerned by the growing rate of cases and the trajectory seems to be of significant concern. I am not being overly critical but I want to be observant. We must act carefully because we cannot end up in a position again that we saw at the start of this year. Let us face it - I was guilty of it as well - many politicians came in here preaching about the need to lift restrictions in the run-up to last Christmas under pressure put on us. Mistakes were made and we all saw the consequences afterwards. I regret that and it is important to say that. I ask the Minister to tread carefully so as not to put us again in a position, if the Government can do it at all, of another elongated lockdown. I hope the vaccines will prevent that from happening and there will be a strong uptake of booster shots to prevent the worst from happening.

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