Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I ask that the Leader and the House would consider issuing an invitation to the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Tony Holohan, to address Seanad Éireann on the occasion of the wind-up of NPHET. It would be a fitting end to a pandemic that on behalf of the nation, we would afford Dr. Holohan an opportunity to address the Seanad on the handling and management of the pandemic. As a nation, we owe NPHET a debt of gratitude.We may not have agreed with everything it said, prescribed or did, but, collectively, we stood up to Covid-19. The actions of NPHET, its management and its honesty saved thousands of lives. The state owes the members of NPHET a significant debt of gratitude. I thank them all most sincerely for the work they did, the sacrifices they made, the decisions they took and, most importantly, the professionalism they showed in their handling and management of the pandemic.

I join with other Senators in asking for a debate on working from home. The issue of work hubs is a new dimension and they are important and welcome. Working from home has brought a new dimension to thousands of people's lives that is to be commended, but it is not for everybody and we cannot lose sight of that fact. There is an obligation on employers, unions, employees and workers, families, children and all stakeholders in society to have a debate on what working from home should look like, what it will mean and what will be the obligations and responsibilities of employers and other important stakeholders, an issue I will return to another day.