Results 5,661-5,680 of 12,424 for speaker:Louise O'Reilly

Written Answers — Department of Health: Legislative Measures (17 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: 218. To ask the Minister for Health the status of measures via amending legislation or statutory instrument to ban smoking in outdoor areas including in locations food is consumed; the person or body that would be responsible for the implementation and enforcement of such a measure; the location the jurisdiction of same lies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24681/20]

Protecting Jobs and Supporting Business: Statements (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent public health measures implemented to reduce the spread of this virus have created unprecedented challenges for small and medium enterprises, SMEs, microbusinesses and the workers that they employ. These public health measures have required businesses across several sectors to close or to implement physical distancing measures that have significantly...

Workers' Rights: Motion [Private Members] (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I am looking at a letter that was sent to the Minister of State from Patricia King and is dated 31 August. It is addressed to the Minister of State with responsibility for business, employment and retail and to the Department of employment and enterprise. Are we not terribly lucky in that we would have had two Ministers to choose from? I fully respect that the schedule was changed but...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank the expert panel for its report and the comprehensive way in which it has approached its work. I will pick up on a point briefly addressed by Professor Twomey concerning the impact on staff. I do not want to dwell too much on this issue, but we know that 56% of total deaths from Covid-19 in this State, thus far, have occurred in nursing homes. Workers in that area are not...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I welcome the recommendation and that it has been made. To elaborate on recovery for staff, I believe that a comprehensive support package needs to be put in place across the healthcare sector, but specifically in nursing homes because of what people working in that area had to go through. Moving on to the issue of transfers out, an issue that may have been covered already, I am reasonably...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: Many private nursing homes do not have the space for isolation. When Professor Kelleher said that the regime has been in place since 10 March, does it mean that every patient who was transferred out from 10 March had two not-detected swabs before being moved?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I would strongly disagree with that. I understand that might be the witnesses' position but it certainly is not the experience that has been relayed to me. In terms of ensuring the resilience of the sector, we know there are obvious complications with a for-profit model for any form of healthcare. If one is chasing a profit all the time, it does not necessarily translate into good...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: On the level 5 qualification for the care assistants, clearly it would be ideal if they were all qualified to that level. There are many people working in the nursing home sector who perhaps started working a long time ago and who would not necessarily have that qualification but would have the experience. There is a facility there for one’s experience to be recognised in some way,...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: It would, because there is a danger that we would run towards a piece of paper when the experience and knowledge exist already. The piece of paper would not necessarily be that important. On the panel's recommendation on reviewing the skills mix, there is model of safe staffing and that was agreed between the INMO, the other unions and the HSE. Would the panel see that safe staffing...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: Absolutely. There is sometimes a fear that the mention of a skill mix can signal a reduction in the number of higher skilled staff in favour of staff who are not as highly qualified. We need, however, to reclaim the phrase "skill mix" and take it for what it implies, namely, the skills appropriate to the level of dependency. I thank the witnesses for the report.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank the witness.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed) (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank the Acting Chairman and the witnesses. My first question is for Mr. Walsh. If he cannot say who changed the criteria concerning a person in charge in a nursing home, could he offer a view as to the grade of the individual in question? Would they be in the Department or the HSE? The question deserves an answer. I understand Mr. Walsh does not have the answer today but he might...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed) (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I thank Mr. Walsh. We would be very grateful if we received that correspondence. I have some questions for Dr. MacLellan on March. I asked a number of questions of Mr. Breslin, the then Secretary General, on the transfer, and I also questioned Dr. Colm Henry at the time. We know there were 800 applications to transfer persons from hospitals to nursing homes. I have a series of...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed) (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: The decisions were made at local level but the guidance and case definition that applied at the time would obviously have excluded any person who was asymptomatic. I am referring, however, to the guidance that stated there should be two tests indicating "not detected" before a person is transferred out. Were the tests going to be carried out only on those who fitted the criteria at the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed) (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: With regard to safe models of staffing, the trauma that staff working in nursing homes and right across the board experienced is accepted and acknowledged by the witnesses, some of whom I know are clinicians with a significant amount of experience. The level of deaths in the nursing home sector was significant. These are private sector workers, not public sector workers. Is there a...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed) (16 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: Is it envisaged that this will be put on a statutory footing? Guidance is fine and we would all hope that everyone would adhere to it. Guidance will be adhered to, obviously, in the public system. Given the wholesale privatisation of our nursing home sector - 80% of people will be in nursing homes in the private sector - without statutory underpinning of this guidance, does Dr. MacLellan...

Public Health, Well-being and National Drugs Strategy: Statements (10 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: In his opening statement, the Minister of State mentioned that persons running recovery support meetings should proceed with extra caution because people with addiction problems are more vulnerable. That really worries me because the people attending these meetings are in recovery. They have managed to get themselves into a situation where they need the meetings for support but they are no...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Human Rights and Civil Liberty Considerations (9 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I will keep an eye on the time.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Human Rights and Civil Liberty Considerations (9 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: We have had three contributions, all of which have been really comprehensive. I thank the witnesses for that and I want to hear from all three organisations. Perhaps we can all work together to limit the time needed for responses if we can. There was mention of a proposal that did not come to pass of criminalising gatherings in private homes. That is indicative of the kind of kite flying...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Human Rights and Civil Liberty Considerations (9 Sep 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: That is very regrettable. Could I hear from the representatives from the ICCL and the Free Legal Advice Centre, FLAC, on that?