Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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495. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the type of non-clinical assistance and administrative supports offered by location, cost and duration to nursing homes and other residential care settings during the first outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020; if any of these costs were subsequently recovered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54985/22]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In supporting the national effort in countering COVID-19, the Defence Forces provided a range of non-clinical and administrative supports in a number of residential care home facilities at the request of the HSE. All requests for assistance from the HSE were managed centrally by HSE Head Office who liaised directly with the Defence Forces Joint Task Force established to coordinate the Defence Forces contribution to the whole-of-Government COVID-19 response.

The Defence Forces provided assistance to the HSE/National Ambulance Service (NAS) in the conduct of COVID-19 testing at some residential care facilities in the east of the country as members of joint testing teams. In total, the Defence Forces expended over 3700 work days in 2020 on COVID testing duties across all settings, including residential care facilities.

The Defence Forces also provided assistance to HSE West in the distribution of PPE to residential care facilities in the west of the country to alleviate supply and delivery problems, involving 84 work days in 2020.

I am further advised by the Military authorities that the Defence Forces provided catering support to a community nursing unit in Co Offaly which involved the assignment of 2 Defence Forces personnel for 4 days in November 2020.

All Covid-19 related expenditure was met from within the overall Defence Vote (Vote 36) allocation for 2020 and there was no requirement to cover these costs.