Results 301-320 of 10,843 for speaker:Matt Carthy

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I thank the witnesses and, in particular, their members who have done us all such a great service. While they have got plenty of plaudits in this House I am reminded of the phrase to the effect that a slap on the back is not far from a kick in the arse. That phrase probably was never more appropriate. The litany of disregard and disrespect outlined to the committee this morning is...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Ms Ní Sheaghdha and Mr. Bell have both made the point consistently on annual leave. In previous committee hearings, we have talked about employers in some cases forcing employees to take annual leave during the periods they are not working. Essentially, what we have heard today is that our public service is doing the exact same thing. Everywhere I go, I see the flags saluting our...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Perhaps I could ask Mr. Bell a final question. He mentioned that one of the private hospitals in receipt of public money has not been adhering to the public service agreements with regard to its workers. Would he care to name that private hospital?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I thank the witness.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I thank the witnesses for attending. Some of my questions may seem repetitive or to be a matter of common sense, but I wish to get them clearly on the record of the committee. Any of the speakers may answer any of the questions, but I ask them to do so as quickly as possible because I have several important points to make. Are our guests satisfied that the information they have received...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Have those lines become operational again? Are they back online?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I want to contextualise this for myself. There is the infamous mind-at-home scheme or the programme that was announced to address the issues pertaining to front-line workers and the proposition that childcare professionals would simply arrive at somebody's home to mind their children regardless of the implications the measure would have for public health, insurance cover or whatever. The...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: To be quite frank, any ordinary person with an ounce of common sense, and they would not need to be an expert in the field as the witnesses are, would know that it was a crazy idea. The reason I have raised the issue in this context is to question the understanding of the realities of people's lives, and the situation in which the childcare profession operates, and why this would come as a...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I ask whoever feels it most relevant to do so to answer my next question. With regard to the children of front-line workers - and I mean this in the broadest sense as being those who were deemed essential throughout the Covid emergency and who, in many cases, have, as we heard this morning, been in very difficult situations - are the witnesses satisfied their member organisations will be in...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I ask each of our guests to inform the committee on particular issues relating to front-line workers finding it difficult to access childcare facilities for whatever reason. There is no need to go into specifics. It is important for the committee's work. I have been involved on the committee of a community crèche and I know one of the challenges is always how to cater for very young...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I absolutely agree. Would Ms Heeney also agree that, as an immediate measure, the extension of 12 weeks should be provided to those women who have been on maternity leave during the Covid pandemic?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed) (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Let the record show that is a "Yes".

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed). (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I thank the witnesses. I have been speaking in recent days to numerous childcare professionals, not just the representatives of organisations but, in particular, the people who from this Monday onwards will be on the front line, to ask them what questions they would like asked. The predominant issue that has been raised with me is one that was touched on earlier, namely, the standards that...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed). (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: My time is short. What will the Department do if it gets a telephone call to inform it that there has been an outbreak of Covid-19 in which several staff members or children have contracted the virus? What will its response be?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed). (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I get that and I thank Mr. Wolfe. The point is that I want to get an understanding of the decision-making processes that operate within the Department. We heard this morning from the representatives of healthcare workers about broken promises and the litany of correspondence relating to childcare needs that went unanswered. We also heard in the preceding session from the professional...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed). (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: Is the answer to the question that nobody raised a concern about its viability?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (Resumed). (23 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: The answer to the question, therefore, is that nobody in the Department said that it might not work.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Testing and Tracing (25 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: We received a submission at 9:32 this morning on testing and tracing from the HSE. That submission is dated 16 June. Could the Business Committee do an examination of the reason it arrived so late? Was it related to the HSE or just a bureaucratic issue? Clearly, it is difficult to engage in questions to witnesses when receiving a document two minutes after the meeting has started....

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Testing and Tracing (25 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: I thank Dr. Henry. Recognising that meat plants have been a particular issue not just in Ireland but internationally, for obvious reasons, what level of focus is Dr. Henry's team keeping on meat factories to ensure that we do not see other spikes in cases within those settings?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Testing and Tracing (25 Jun 2020)

Matt Carthy: The prevalence of cases seems to have reduced in those settings. Is the work and monitoring by the HSE and the testing and tracing teams ongoing in meat factories?