Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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190. To ask the Minister for Health if he will meet again with persons (details supplied) who lost loved ones during the Covid pandemic; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58352/22]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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I recognise how difficult it has been for the families of nursing home residents who died during this pandemic, which has presented one of the greatest and most wide-ranging public health challenges internationally in recent history.

The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly T.D., and I met with relatives of those who passed away in the nursing home specified by the Deputy in October 2020. I also held a meeting in July 2021 attended by a group which supports nursing home residents and their families, and relatives of those who passed away in nursing homes during COVID-19 outbreaks.

During both these meetings, I heard the concerns raised by family members and I understand the very difficult experiences they have had losing their relatives in very difficult circumstances. My Department has also received, and continues to receive and respond to, ministerial representations from family members of those who died during COVID-19 outbreaks in nursing homes.

My Department remains committed to learning from the experience of the pandemic and the focus remains on implementing the recommendations of the Nursing Home Expert Panel. The Expert Panel reported in August 2020 and significant progress has been made in implementing its recommendations.

The Taoiseach has indicated that a comprehensive evaluation of how the country managed COVID-19 will be undertaken which will provide an opportunity to learn lessons from our experiences in dealing with a pandemic over the past 2 years. This will help ensure that we are in a better, stronger position if another pandemic or another similar type of emergency arrives. Consideration is being given as to what the best model for this evaluation will be.

Separately, the Minister for Health has stated that he believes that a review of the management and impact of COVID-19 in nursing homes is warranted. He has asked the Department to consider the options available for undertaking such a review, taking account of the experience of, and learnings, from other review processes undertaken in recent years.