Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Last Tuesday, the Tánaiste said a memorandum would be brought to the Cabinet last week or early this week on the subsidisation of antigen testing. It did not happen on either occasion. Last Wednesday, the Taoiseach said his Government was committed to providing subsidised antigen testing and, yesterday, the Minister for Health said he is ditching plans to subsidise antigen testing because the market has solved the problem for the Government. However, the price of an antigen test in many places is still anything up to €8. Does the Taoiseach acknowledge this is out of the reach of struggling families, particularly if they have three or four children and want to follow the advice of the Government, which is to use antigen testing? Does the Taoiseach believe antigen testing should be made convenient, accessible and affordable to those who are asymptomatic? Does he believe that €5, €6 or, indeed, €8, which is charged in many outlets, is unaffordable to such families? What is he going to do about it?

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