I thank Deputies for sharing their views and observations on what is a key component of our strategy for transitioning out of the current pandemic. As I am sure Deputies will agree, the scale of the current vaccination programme is unprecedented. I again acknowledge with thanks the efforts of all those who have brought us to this juncture. Without the efforts of healthcare workers we would not have managed to halt the progress of Covid-19 sufficiently prior to the roll-out of the vaccination programme. Without the …

It is clear from the debate this morning that Members across the House share the gratitude to, and have paid extraordinary tribute to, student nurses and midwives and all their healthcare colleagues who have provided, and continue to provide, care across the entire service. The Government will not be opposing this motion. I wish to offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who has lost a loved one. In particular my thoughts are with the families of the 93 people whose deaths were notified yesterday. We all know that …

The report of the commission of investigation into the history of these institutions has provided the Irish people of the present day with a shocking insight into a very harrowing chapter of our nation's past. It is a buried past, a past that was buried live and buried for too long. The report has revealed to us that Ireland was a very cold and harsh place for women who found themselves in a certain situation. It was a situation, in a lot of cases, that was outside their control, a situation in which the women and …

Covid-19 has posed significant challenges including isolation, bereavement, anxiety and loss of income and work for many. As a nation, we continue to rise to this huge challenge but some of us will need additional support as we face this difficult time. Since the pandemic started, mental health services have responded rapidly, continuing to deliver supports for people in the safest possible way. Some services have been reconfigured while others, like telehealth, have been significantly enhanced with our NGO partner…

Regarding the Deputy's first question, the pandemic has borne down hard on the older generation. The Minister and I are on record as saying that people need to receive answers, but we are in the middle of the third surge and our focus is on nursing homes and keeping our elderly generation safe. There will be time for a discussion on the matter in question. People need answers.

I will take the last question from Deputy Bruton. I agree wholeheartedly with the Deputy that there is no manual for this and there is no accurate model. Those are fair words. In relation to the contingency funding, the best I can say is if an application is made to the Department we will have a look at it. In the budget for this year, there was an extra €15 million allocated for Covid responses. That is the best answer I can give the Deputy.

I thank the Deputy for the question. The situation in respect of nursing homes is that we have 111 nursing homes with Covid outbreaks at present, with 72 of these occurring in the past seven days. It is very serious. With regard to vaccination in a nursing home, if there is a small outbreak that is very controllable it will continue but if there is a significant outbreak the best practice is not to continue. We cannot give the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to a person who has Covid. The person has to be clear of Covid fo…

I thank the Deputy for his questions and continued interest in the nursing home sector. I reiterate the plan is to vaccinate in all 585 nursing homes, with 70,000 staff members and residents, by Sunday week, with the first dose of the BioNTech vaccine. I spoke to Brian MacCraith, the HSE and the Department about this last week and we had a meeting which the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, was at last Friday. If there is a small outbreak, we will proceed as planned. However, if there is an outbreak among 50 residents, an…

Another issue that arises is if a substantial proportion of the staff have Covid too. The main aim is to vaccinate everybody in the nursing homes as quickly as possible. We have some critical levels in nursing homes at present. If over 80% of staff and residents have Covid, it is hard to organise provision of the vaccine. The plan is to do it as quickly as possible and I agree with the Deputy.

St. Brigid's hospital was built in 1837 in Carrick-on-Suir. It was a long-term residential care home that used to be home to between 16 and 18 residents. The care that was delivered there was always exceptional. I do not live far from the hospital. HIQA flagged issues with the hospital in 2018. These issues included the age of the building, the fact that there was only 76 cm between the beds on the two five-bed wards and the fact that there were no shower facilities on the men's ward.

I would like to be able to answer the question.

HIQA determined that the facility would not receive registration going forward under infection prevention control and due to the fact that it could not guarantee patient safety. The decision was taken by the HSE that the facility would no longer be used as a residential centre but it is going to be recalibrated into a community healthcare network. Seven new jobs will be created and the building will be used as a facility for people with long-term conditions such as diabetes, asthma and chronic pain. Work has starte…

I thank all of the Deputies for some useful inputs today. The Minister outlined the comprehensive supports the Government has put in place to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 on the economy and society. He also outlined the Government's national Covid-19 vaccination strategy. I can assure the House that the Government is fully committed to supporting people during this challenging time and I would like to set out in particular some of the important measures that have been put in place to protect the elderly, vulnera…

I thank the Senator for raising this really important issue. He is quite right in that Saoirse stole all our hearts two weeks ago on the "The Late Late Toy Show". Also, he quite rightly stated that there are so many more affected, including Darragh and Éanna. The issue can be very problematic for parents and children because the latter grow so quickly at a young age. It is an important issue and I am glad the Deputy has raised it. The term "community-funded schemes" is a collective title for all of the many product…

I thank the Senator for the practical and pragmatic way he has raised this matter. It is a serious issue for many families. As he has said, the spotlight in recent weeks on young children with prostheses has shown that it can be very problematic for many families who might not have access to a long-term illness card or a medical card. As Senator Byrne said, if they are trying to raise an extra €16,000 every two years it is a huge amount of money for any one family to come up with. The HSE states there are many dema…

Many people are interested in this Commencement matter. As Senator Fitzpatrick has quite rightly said, the Rotunda Hospital is the world's oldest and Ireland's busiest maternity hospital, with the phenomenal number of 8,000 babies being delivered every year. I thank her for raising the issue and giving me the opportunity to outline to the House on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, the position on the Rotunda Hospital. Project Ireland 2040 provides €10.9 billion for health capital developments through…

I thank the Deputy for her subsequent statement. In 2020, €4.6 million was provided by the HSE to the Rotunda Hospital to address capacity and infrastructural needs. Given the age and condition of the original hospital, additional funding of €100,000 has been provided by the HSE to the Rotunda to prepare a strategic assessment report and preliminary business case in support of the proposed critical care wing, as required under the public spending code. A projected €250,000 will be allocated in 2021 to assist furthe…

There is always next year.

Beidh bliain eile againn.

We have a good, young, strong team.