Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I too welcome the opportunity to speak on the Bill today. I am pleased to see both the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, are present. We have tabled a number of amendments to the Bill. I do not think they are life-changing, but they could mean an awful lot when it comes to accountability, clarity and information tracing and sharing.

I wish to touch on a few points. We are well aware there is a pandemic, that it is new, and that everybody is learning. As other speakers have said, various Departments are trying to work together. The main focus is on trying to quell and control this new virus. What is more important is to get the information out to schools, principals and families. There has been a lot of panic and mixed messaging on foot of statements that were made.

The previous speaker who mentioned disability services is correct. People who require those services have suffered traumatically since Covid arrived because the services have practically shut down. The Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people, Deputy Butler, is present. Mental health services are going backwards. Businesses do not know what they are doing next week or the following week.

I tabled a parliamentary question on PCR tests last week. I inquired about getting pharmacists involved at local level. The reply I received from the Department is that it would much prefer a person to travel from Youghal in County Cork to Cork city to a designated centre than for the person to stay in the town. The majority of these people use public transport. I do not think it is a very good model. I believe more services should be provided locally. If we are to tackle the virus, we must tackle it locally as well and put services in place.

Returning to the Bill, I appeal to the Minister to take our amendments on board. It is not a test of who is better, it is about making sure that things are going well. We will all work together in the House. It is about getting clarity and accountability and making sure the system is working properly.

The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, will hate me for it, but I am here and she is also here. I was reading the latest minutes of a meeting in Cork County Council regarding the Owenacurra centre. It is ironic we still do not have clarity in Midleton on the centre. In the middle of a pandemic, we do not know if the long-term respite beds will remain or where the mental health day care services will go. I spoke to a number of patients last Monday. I will conclude on this point and put the situation in context. One gentleman said to me it was great to be out that morning. He said he had got his bottles of water. He said he can still get the bus and the train, and he can go for coffee. He asked where he would go if they were to take him from the Owenacurra centre. He said it was his forever home and he wants to die there. He asked me if I had an answer for him. I could not give the man an answer. I appeal to the Minister of State to please make sure those services remain in Midleton, County Cork.

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