Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions
Dail Éireann — 2020-10-22
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Leo Varadkar (FG), Dublin West

I am afraid I do not have any information about the nursing home he raised or the current situation there. The Deputy will forgive me if it is not possible for me to comment on or answer his questions without knowing any of the facts. I will certainly make inquiries about it. Without knowing anything about the nursing home or anything about what is happening there, it would be inappropriate for me to try to answer questions about something about which I have no knowledge.
What I do know is that the HSE has put in many protocols and supports to help nursing homes over the past couple of months. The Deputy will be aware of the serial testing that happens in nursing homes. Ireland was one of the first countries to regularly test residents and staff in order that outbreaks can be detected and dealt with early. Additional funding has been provided for nursing homes through the nursing homes support scheme. Where possible and where asked for, I understand the HSE can provide staff and, in some cases, can even take over the clinical governance of a nursing home. That happened back in the spring.
Again, however, without knowing anything about this particular situation, it is really not possible for me to speak to it.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2020-10-22/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:48:43+00:00
Sitting date: 2020-10-22