Results 9,121-9,140 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for those questions. On capacity, I agree 100% with the Deputy. We are in the middle of a very comprehensive planning exercise to bring in a winter plan unlike any that has been seen before. I agree fully with the Deputy that before Covid-19 arrived here, we had the longest waiting list anywhere in Europe, the lowest number of consultants, the second lowest number of...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: No problem. That is fine. I will revert in writing on the rest.

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: The expert report is coming next week. I have not seen it but understand it has a long list of recommendations. The first focus has to be on making sure that the nursing homes are protected. The public health officials are saying, based on how they see this disease work around the world, that we will have a second surge. We hope that it will be low and that it will be localised...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Deputy Nash for his questions and, while I acknowledge that he is stepping in for his party leader today, for his ongoing work on a lot of these issues. On the flu vaccine, I will ask for a detailed response to be sent to the Deputy. I have a detailed note here but if I give it now it would take up all the time. Essentially, the advice from the national immunisation advisory...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: Early next week. I will get the remaining information to the Deputy in writing.

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for her questions. I am looking to see what led to this 7% level. I do not believe it is acceptable. Deputy Shortall also believes it is unacceptable. There are several things happening. The number of people who are going to be tasked with following up on this is going to be significantly increased. It is not going to be the Department of Health but the Department of...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: With regard to the second question, the Deputy asked me the same question again. I have answered the question. My answer is exactly what it was five minutes ago. With regard-----

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I have answered the question.

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I did. The Deputy may not like the answer but I have answered it.

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I agree and I have comprehensively answered the question. I told the Deputy exactly what I will be doing. The answer to the same question is as it was when she asked it the first time. With regard to the Department of Justice and Equality, the Deputy keeps on stating my Department is taking over the follow-up. It is not. The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport is taking over the...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: It is true.

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for raising those points. I read the HIQA report carefully. I understand the Deputy's alarm, but my reading of the document in terms of the level of compliance is different. I am more than happy to discuss that with him after this debate. The report gave a green grade, which denotes full compliance, to 90% plus of nursing homes in respect of the various governance...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for his question. To be clear, I do not mean to underplay the HIQA report. We are taking it very seriously and have examined it in detail. The matters that HIQA has flagged are being taken seriously. I accept the Deputy's points on the various details in the report. Regarding a public inquiry, we have the HIQA report. I have sought an additional HIQA report, which...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I will revert to the Deputy in more detail. The very short answer is that there can be no double standards. There cannot be one level of health and safety for us and another for the nation's children and school workers.

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I will get a detailed answer for the Deputy. I raised the issue of the German lab myself. I understand we are in contract with the lab, which was an important measure when we were trying rapidly to scale up capacity. I will ask the HSE for an update. I will give some of the latest figures on testing. We now have capacity for 100,000 tests a week. We are in a positive position of not...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: On contact tracing, the view expressed by the WHO and international groups is that Ireland is doing very well. Our contact tracing app has been, and continues to be, a great success. The latest figure is that more than 1.4 million people have downloaded it, which is about one third of the target population. It is much higher than many other countries. The team that developed the app told...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: To respond to Deputy O'Donoghue, we are acutely aware of the percentages of people who have not turned up for tests. There is a lower percentage of people who have not turned up for a second test, which is also required. My understanding is that people who attend their GP clinic and say they are symptomatic are referred for a test, and that there is a very high compliance rate in such cases...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for those very pertinent questions and I will do my best to go through them. I could not agree more with the Deputy on the capacity issue. Before Covid-19 arrived we did not have enough capacity. We had the lowest number of consultantsper capitain the OECD and second-lowest level of acute beds. There were non-safe staffing levels for nurses and midwives. The Deputy and...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. Her questions were being put quicker than I was able to write them down so I ask her to bear with me. I will revert to her in writing on the ones we cannot reach. In terms of GP expansion and capacity, we brought legislation through the House last night to expand free GP care for children from the age of seven up to and including those aged 12 years. It is being...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (24 Jul 2020)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth for her congratulations. I assure her that the work rate has not diminished since we were in opposition. It is fair to say that it has increased substantially. I thank the Deputy for her question on the Border counties. This is a profoundly important matter. It affects the Border counties most severely but it is a question for the whole island. There is...