That would be great.

I thank the Members for their time today. It was a very good debate. The standard of the contributions was excellent. They were well thought out. Obviously, there were criticisms but they were constructive. I take on board everything that has been said in the debate, and I welcome it. I will try to respond as far as possible to the questions that were raised. How much time do I have?

I will try my best. I welcome the opportunity to restate my and the Government's commitment to the continued development of mental health services and supports during and beyond Covid-19. The pandemic has been very challenging and, in response, a range of mental health supports has been established. At the outset, we put in place proactive measures to provide for any increase in service need. That is the most important point I can convey today. Supports were retained from last March when we had the initial wave of …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an gCeann Comhairle. Ireland’s vaccination programme against Covid-19 has been designed to ensure that those who are most vulnerable to the disease are the first to be protected. This, alongside the vaccination of health care workers, is to be welcomed. On 24 January, the HSE completed roll-out of the first vaccine dose to the majority of residents and staff in nursing homes. Administration of the second vaccine dose is nearing completion. Those who were unable to receive the vaccine due to th…

I thank the Deputy for the question. For those people in assisted living facilities that are not registered with HIQA, mostly religious organisations, vaccination commenced on Monday, 8 February for people over the age of 65. It is for those people living in accommodation such as the Matthew Shea Home, the Sue Ryder homes, and the non-registered facilities that are, as I said, run by religious organisations. These vaccinations were brought ahead to the beginning of this week because there are fears around the weath…

People who might currently be in hospital but also avail of home care packages will receive the vaccine when they return home. A person must be in the same setting between 22 and 28 days in order to receive the second dose of the vaccine. An older person who is in hospital today, for example, but due to be released at the end of the week, will not receive the vaccine in the hospital setting. He or she will receive it while in their home setting.

The person will receive the vaccine when the GP surgery calls them, starting next Monday. The second vaccine will be administered through the GP also.

At the moment it will be determined purely by age.

I thank the Deputy for her question on nursing homes. Residents in the initial 27 nursing homes that were done the first week have received their second dose. For the next two weeks, starting next Monday, all nursing homes will get their second dose and they have received their date for that. As regards the people who have-----

I was just going to answer that.

It is hard to give an estimated date because those who missed out have to be 28 days clear of Covid to get the vaccine. These vaccinations will be conducted, where possible, alongside delivery of the second dose, which will happen in the next two weeks. At CHO level, targeted clinics-----

My understanding is that it is approximately 3,000 people.

I will answer the question on mental health. All residents aged 65 years and older within registered nursing homes, disability residential care facilities and mental health residential care facilities have been offered vaccination. Some mental health staff came under cohort 2 but the AstraZeneca roll-out now includes all mental health staff. Everyone is encouraged to apply on the portal.

Deputy Michael Collins stated that those in nursing homes were left to die. I think that is a very unfair comment. It is scaremongering. To date, 1,734 people have died in nursing homes, but the nurses, staff and carers have worked their fingers to the bone to try to ensure that these people were not left to die. It is unfair of the Deputy to say that.

I refer to the comments of Deputy Harkin regarding those with disabilities and front-line workers. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, confirmed this week that disability service staff are included in vaccination plans for front-line healthcare workers in the coming weeks. I know this was a significant concern for front-line disability service workers and it has been welcomed.

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for setting out clearly the history in this situation, which gives me the opportunity to provide an update to the House in regard to the concerns relating to the paediatric diabetes service at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar. The HSE has advised that the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar, has a comprehensive diabetes and endocrinology service. This is an integral part of the overall services provided by the hospital and is supported by a multidisciplinary te…

I thank the Deputy for the constructive manner in which he has approached this matter. I take on board his acknowledgement of Professor O'Grady and all of the work he has done over the past eight years to develop this service, which is very important. The Government is committed to further developing and strengthening diabetes services throughout the country, for both children and adults, given the prospective increases in the number of people that will be affected by this chronic health condition in the years ahea…

I thank Deputy Higgins for raising this important matter. Vitamin D is essential for bone and muscle health and to support the normal functioning of the immune system. Vitamin D can be found in a variety of foods, including in fortified cereal and dairy products, and humans can also absorb it from the sun. I take this opportunity to highlight the importance of a balanced diet that not only supports overall health but can also help to increase vitamin D intake. This is particularly important for vulnerable populatio…

It would be remiss of me not to say that the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, was here this afternoon speaking on the Covid-19 vaccines question-and-answer session. I believe the Minister had another appointment. I thank Deputy Higgins for raising this important matter. An evidence synthesis paper on vitamin D and Covid-19 prepared for NPHET was discussed at its meeting on 28 January 2021. The paper examined available research evidence up to that date, including recent rapid reviews, randomised controlled tria…

My thanks to Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this issue. As the Deputy rightly said, I am taking this for the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Deputy Ryan, this afternoon. The national broadband plan contract was signed with National Broadband Ireland in November 2019 to roll out a high-speed and future-proof broadband network within the intervention area. The area covers 1.1 million people living and working in more than 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms as well a…