Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We will have a full public inquiry into how the pandemic was handled in Ireland. This will include what happened in nursing homes, in hospitals and in the community, along with the wider economic and social response. We have not yet decided on the exact format of that. I do want it to be done properly, whether that is using the commission of investigation mechanism, which has pros and cons, or a tribunal mechanism or another mechanism. I am open to that being considered. There are pluses and minuses to all of these mechanisms. I do not believe it can be done quickly. It will take time and it will take time to do it properly. I am determined to have this up and running this year, and ideally by the middle of the year.

Again, it is important we are honest with people that with the best will in the world and even with the best infection control procedures, it is not always possible to keep viruses out of hospitals and out of nursing homes. If it is not brought in by the staff it is brought in by visitors or brought in by the patients. That is just the reality of it. If one looks at the same statistics the world over one will see a similar profile, which is sadly that a high proportion of people who died from Covid would have picked it up in a healthcare setting or in a nursing home. That is the nature of a virus. We need to be serious about looking into the issues the Deputy has raised, and he is right to raise these issues, but we also need not to create the false impression as to how viruses work and what was possible and what was not possible.

See this speech in context