Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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323. To ask the Minister for Health if the definition of a support bubble has changed (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7832/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As you will be aware, Ireland is currently at Level 5 of Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19.

At Level 5, people are asked to stay at home as much as possible unless they have a "reasonable excuse" for leaving.

The Regulations providing for these measures are set out in S.I. No. 701 of 2020 and S.I. 29 of 2021. Regulation 4. of SI 701 sets out a non-exhaustive list of reasonable excuses for leaving one’s home. This non-exhaustive list includes at 4. (2) (w) in the case of a person who is part of a paired household, to travel to an event in a dwelling in accordance with Regulation 5.

Regulation 6. of SI 701 of 2020 sets out the meaning for paired households. Further clarification on support bubbles (paired households) is provided on gov.ie:-

Statutory Instruments relating to the Covid-19 pandemic are available here:-

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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324. To ask the Minister for Health the current advice of his Department on vitamin D regarding its role in strengthening the immune system in the context of Covid-19; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7833/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy is advised that the existing guidance on vitamin D was updated in November 2020 and advises that adults aged 65 and older take a 15 microgram (600 IU) daily supplement for bone and muscle health.

An evidence synthesis paper on vitamin D and COVID-19 prepared for NPHET was discussed at its meeting of January 28. The NPHET agreed that efforts should be made to increase awareness of existing guidance; and that adults spending increased time indoors or are housebound or in long-term residential care or have dark skin pigmentation are also recommended to take a daily vitamin D supplement.

These recommendations for the use of vitamin D are being incorporated into wider messaging, and additionally are being communicated across the health service, including nursing homes and social care settings as necessary.

There is currently no plan for a campaign providing vitamin D supplements to certain groups. The NPHET agreed that at present there is insufficient high-quality evidence with respect to vitamin D in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19, and noted that ongoing developments, particularly Randomised Control Trials, in this area be monitored by the NPHET with guidance reviewed accordingly.

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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325. To ask the Minister for Health the current advice of his Department on the role of ventilation in reducing the spread of Covid-19 in domestic settings, school settings and workplace settings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7834/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The NPHET keeps all issues in relation to COVID-19 under review, including modes of transmission and the role that ventilation can play in mitigating transmission. These matters were discussed most recently at its meeting of 21^stJanuary.

COVID-19 is a new disease, and the effect of ventilation on the transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) is still unclear, however there is evidence that COVID-19 outbreaks are more commonly associated with crowded indoor spaces, and that poor ventilation may increase the risk of transmission in such settings.

There is already a range of advice and guidance in place in relation to ventilation. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre has published Guidance on Non-Healthcare Building Ventilation during COVID-19 which provides an analysis of the current literature examining the association between ventilation and COVID-19. The Guidance provides recommendations, based on the literature, for commercial and public buildings, including with regard to mechanical ventilation. It also includes school specific guidance which recommends the use of indoor air quality meters which monitor the level of CO2 in classrooms that rely on natural ventilation. This guidance can be found at the following link:

The HPSC has updated this guidance based on a recent HIQA rapid review of current public health guidance for community settings for COVID-19 and recent updates in similar international guidance. The guidance will be reviewed again, as required, following the findings of a new multisectoral group on ventilation which has been established by Professor Mark Ferguson at the request of the NPHET. The Group is chaired by Professor John Wegner and held its first meeting on 2 February 2021.

Additional guidance on ventilation in commercial spaces is available in the Work Safely Protocol () and in NSAI guidance for the retail sector and shopping centres:

There is also additional guidance on Gov.ie and on the HSE website which outlines the importance of ventilation in households. This can be found here: