Results 11,121-11,140 of 11,367 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: The number of new cases from yesterday is almost irrelevant to my question. I am asking if we now know where there are clusters and can we be fairly confident that clusters will not emerge somewhere that the National Virus Reference Laboratory does not know about at the moment?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Meat factories.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Is there any other particular sector? We have seen the evidence that was released in recent weeks on the meat factories. Is there any other sector or particular type of workplace that is raising concerns with the National Virus Reference Laboratory?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I gather that whatever number of reported and confirmed cases there are, there is an X number of other likely cases. At one stage there was a suggestion that there could be as many as four times the number of cases as those that had been confirmed. Do we have a sense of what the X number is now? In other words, how many cases of Covid-19 have there been that we do not know about but that...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Before I allow Professor Nolan to add something, if he wishes to do so, there are some anomalies in terms of outbreaks. The counties of Cavan and Monaghan have had fairly high instances, proportionally. I think Cavan has the highest, Monaghan the third highest. The reason many people find this unusual is that, internationally, it appears that the greatest concentrations of cases are...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Does Professor Nolan have any information in this regard?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: One other person.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Louth and Meath stand between us, though.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Is it something Professor Nolan is examining?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Professor Nolan has spoken about the second wave. I think he has used the word "probable" or "possible". Would both Dr. De Gascun and Professor Nolan agree - I would like a yes-no answer - that the success of ensuring such a second wave does not become overwhelming will be in large part reliant on our ability to have a sufficient test, trace and isolate regime in place?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Accepting that, and almost leaving that aside, does Dr. De Gascun agree that testing and tracing will be important moving forward?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Is Dr. De Gascun satisfied that the current testing and tracing system that is in place is sufficient for whatever might come down the line?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I have two questions. I will try to be as brief as possible. Perhaps Professor Nolan might be the best person to answer whether we have any reliable data on excess deaths for the period since March. In Britain they have released those figures in recent days. Do we have a sense of what they are for Ireland yet?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: My final question is to both speakers. Reference was made to the letter that scientists wrote to Government yesterday. Many people have taken an interest in it. One notable thing from that letter was its stark call for an all-Ireland approach to be adopted in whatever measures are adopted. We have seen some rhetoric to that end. Are Dr. De Gascun and Professor Nolan satisfied that the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Do they think it is a little mad not to have an integrated strategy on such a small island?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Public Health Advice (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Interaction is different from integration.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I love the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach's optimism. I welcome this opportunity and I thank our speakers for being here. I have a general question for Dr. Quinn to start with. What does the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation do when it learns of the potential loss of a large number of jobs? If there are reports that a factory may be closing, for example, what interventions...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I was afraid Dr. Quinn would give an answer like that. Clearly, we could now see quite a number of companies close as a result of Covid-19. In fact, Covid-19 was cited by the Henderson Group, which announced the closure of plants in County Meath and Glaslough, in my constituency. The Glaslough plant employs 48. I noted that the Minister's response was very similar to what Dr. Quinn has...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: With respect, from 2010 onwards, particularly as we started moving to the position where jobs were being created, I agree that Dr. Quinn's Department always had, and still has, an incredibly high profile when new jobs were being announced. The Minister is out in front and there are big press statements. It does not appear that the same profile is adopted when jobs are at risk. I understand...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Reopening the Economy: Supports for Business (9 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Could Dr. Quinn give an example of that approach? Looking in this instance at my constituency, where potentially anything up to 48 families - certainly 36 families, we understand - will be devastated by the loss of an income and a very important employer, what types of interventions are being made with the company to ascertain whether measures can be put in place to save those jobs?