Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

In December 2022, Ireland had the highest excess mortality rate since the start of Covid. Ireland had the fourth-highest level of excess mortality in the whole of the European Union for that month. During Covid, at a time when there were fewer excess deaths than in December 2022, the Government’s response was to stop people travelling more than 2 km from their homes, close schools and stop people attending the funerals of loved ones. In that time the Government stopped people from going to work and making a living and it prevented them from being with their families, even when they were dying. We should compare and contrast that with now, when there are more deaths. I raised this with the Taoiseach in the Dáil in recent weeks and the full extent of the Government’s response was that the issue would be raised with the Chief Medical Officer. Why is the Government so silent about mortuaries filling up at this moment in time? What has it done to investigate what is happening in real time so that something can be done about it?

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