Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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225. To ask the Minister for Health the plans being considered to allow birthing partners to be present for the full labour and delivery of a child given that we will be living with Covid-19 for some time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27473/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge that the current restrictions in maternity hospitals are presenting difficulties and this is hugely regrettable.  However, it is necessary to reduce footfall in order to protect women, babies, staff and our maternity service as a whole. 

Maternity hospitals have performed well during the pandemic and have continued to keep women, babies and staff safe.  The fact that there have been no Covid maternal deaths in this country, and that we have a had a low incidence in pregnant women, suggests that the current approach is working.

However, we must remain vigilant as services resume and higher numbers of people attend hospitals. Maternity hospitals rely on very specialised personnel; should an outbreak of COVID-19 occur in a maternity hospital, the ability to provide safe, quality care would be severely impacted.  It should be remembered that maternity hospitals care for fragile infants at the extremes of prematurity.

All maternity hospitals are challenged by the pandemic, but those challenges vary considerably.  Decisions on any restrictions are therefore made, implemented and reviewed at hospital level.

Decisions to restrict visitors in our maternity hospitals have not been taken lightly.  Management and staff are acutely aware of the very important support provided by partners at the time of birth.  I have been assured that maternity hospitals wish to facilitate this support as far as possible.   In that context, I can assure the Deputy that any restrictions currently in place have been minimised as much as possible and will be subject to ongoing review. 

I note that restrictions have eased somewhat in certain hospitals in recent weeks and I hope this will continue.  However, the recent rise in the numbers of people infected with the virus, including healthcare workers, is very worrying and may impact on the pace of the easing of restrictions.

The Deputy may wish to note that the National Women & Infants Health Programme has developed a guidance document on restrictions in maternity hospitals/units and this issued to all maternity services last week. The paper seeks to ensure a consistent national approach to visitor restrictions, as far as is practicable and having due regard to local circumstances.   Each maternity service/network has been requested to review visiting arrangements on a weekly basis, in the context of the issues and factors identified in the paper.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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226. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons in the Be on Call for Ireland pool; the number who have been assigned or placed in services; the number of staff hired through Be on Call for Ireland with HSE contracts; the number with agency or temporary contracts; the reason staff are being hired as agency or temporary staff when there is a demonstrated need for them to be employed as HSE staff; if his Department is seeking to avoid employer obligations by hiring staff as temporary or agency staff; if all employed to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic are working on valid contracts; the number who are working on temporary contracts which have expired; if he can guarantee that not a single worker brought on to tackle the Covid-19 pandemic is working on an expired contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27484/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service related matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to reply directly to the Deputy, as soon as possible.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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227. To ask the Minister for Health if he will advise on an item of correspondence (details supplied); the steps that he or his Ministerial colleagues are taking to ensure compliance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27486/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The public health advice relating to Covid-19, including that relating to face coverings, is kept under continuing review by the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).

A person, without reasonable excuse, must now wear a face covering when using public transport, in retail outlets, shops and shopping centres, in other indoor spaces such as libraries, cinemas and cinema complexes, theatres, concert halls, bingo halls, museums, businesses carrying out cosmetic nail care or nail styling, hair care or hair styling, tattoo and piercing services, travel agents and tour operators, laundries and dry cleaners and licensed bookmakers.

The relevant Regulations are the Health Act 1947 (Section 31A – Temporary Restrictions) (Covid-19) (Face Coverings in certain premises and businesses) Regulations 2020 (S.I No. 296/2020)

These Regulations do not apply:

-  to a person under 13 years,

-  to the occupier, manager or person in charge or a worker where there is a screen that separates them from other persons or the person takes all reasonable steps to maintain a distance of two metres

-to a member of the Garda Síochána in the course of performing his or her duties

The Regulations provide that it is a matter for the occupier, manager or person in charge to take all reasonable steps to engage with persons entering or in a relevant premises to inform them of the requirements to wear a face covering and to promote compliance with the requirement.

The requirement to wear a face covering in the situations described is a penal provision for the purposes of section 31A of the Health Act 1947 (No. 28 of 1947). Enforcement is a matter for An Garda Síochána.

A reasonable excuse includes when a person cannot put on, wear or remove a face covering because of a physical or mental illness, impairment or disability or without severe distress; to communicate with a person who has difficulties communicating; to provide emergency help or care to a vulnerable person; to avoid harm or injury or to take medication. In addition, in retail outlets, it is also permitted to remove the face covering to allow for identification when the sales of goods or services have a minimum age requirement, or to assist in the provision of healthcare or healthcare advice.

The current face covering advice is available at:

www2.hse.ie/conditions/coronavirus/face-masks-disposable-gloves.html.

www.gov.ie/facecoverings/.

David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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228. To ask the Minister for Health the reason some community testers and contact tracers and those offered jobs through Be on Call for Ireland and other recruitment pathways to join the health service are only being offered temporary employment through agencies and are not being employed directly by the HSE or his Department; if this is congruent with the objective of employing a dedicated testing and tracing workforce; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27489/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond to the Deputy directly, as soon as possible.