The Minster has just one minute.

We must move on.

The next speaker is Deputy Michael Collins who is sharing with Deputy Danny Healy-Rae. The Deputies have five minutes each.

I am going to let Deputy Danny Healy-Rae in now.

We might get the rest of the answers on Bandon in writing.

There was a very important question about school transport.

I will have to stop the Minister because we only have a few minutes left for our last two speakers. I am up against the clock.

To conclude we have Deputies Harkin and Connolly. I presume they are taking five minutes each.

We have to conclude because we are over time for the two-hour limit. It would be much appreciated, however, if the Minister could facilitate answering those questions in writing. That concludes the statement by the Minister for Education and Skills on Covid-19 and questions and answers on Covid-19.

I wish to revisit the issue of cancer screening services. I wish to put the point across from a woman's point of view. Women are worried. I encourage everyone to avail of screening when it is available to them. When a woman turns 50, she gets, for the first time, a letter inviting her to avail of the BreastCheck service. I know of a lady who availed of that service two years ago. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with cancer. However, she had a great outcome because it was found so early. Smear tests and CervicalChe…

The prospect of a second wave of coronavirus infection throughout Europe is no longer a distant theory. I understand that we are also making our plans here. It is imperative that nursing homes, residential homes and care homes be given much higher status when these plans are being drawn up. I welcome what the Minister announced in his opening speech, that there will be a nursing home expert panel. I have a question on the make up of that panel. The Minister stated that the chair would be a public health expert and …

I will speak for a minute and a half to allow the Minister to respond. The economic impact from the Covid outbreak has already been unprecedented. Many businesses throughout the country have had to close their doors to adhere to public health advice to combat the spread of the virus. Many supports, as the Minister has outlined, have been put in place with 590,000 receiving the pandemic unemployment payment and 452,000 employees receiving income support under the wage-subsidy scheme. Everyone realises this is not su…

Once again, I would like to speak about nursing and care homes. I acknowledge the Minister's statement to the effect that, based on the preliminary data, the number of cases has declined from approximately 100 a day in early April to approximately 50 a day towards the end of last week. I pay tribute to and thank the fantastic staff in all the nursing and care homes throughout the country for the work they have done over the past two months. They have gone far beyond the call of duty. On Tuesday last, I visited St. …

As the Minister will be aware, 90% of deaths due to Covid-19 are among those aged over 65. All my questions today will be Covid-19-related. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre issued guidance for immediate implementation saying that surgical masks should be worn by healthcare workers when providing care within two metres of a patient, irrespective of Covid-19 status. Does the Minister agree that this should also be the case for home care workers, who see as many as six different people each day? Most people r…

It will come up anyway.

The situation in nursing and care homes needs urgent attention. Due to concerns raised with me by various nursing homes, I undertook a survey between 7 and 9 April. I contacted 80 nursing homes in Waterford, Kilkenny, Cork and Kerry and received a 25% response rate. I asked whether they had sufficient quantities of PPE to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic crisis. Of those that replied, 10% had a three-day supply and 30% had a supply, but 60% had none. Due to the number of nursing homes, especially in the east of the …

The coronavirus emergency is the most dangerous and life-altering event Ireland has faced in any of our lifetimes. It has completely changed the way we live our lives and how we go about our daily business. We have all seen the horrific numbers from Italy and Spain, our European neighbours, and we now pray that their present is not our future. We cannot call to our parents for a cup of tea and a chat but this is a price worth paying if it keeps them safe and healthy. Up and down the country, people are paying this …

I am sharing time with Deputy Cathal Crowe. The coronavirus is a serious challenge globally and nationally. It is crucial that we all follow the advice of public health experts as they are in constant contact with the WHO. The coronavirus affects older people and those with certain health conditions to a greater extent. Older people who may contact this virus will need additional wrap-around supports to deal with it. This morning I met with the CEO of ALONE, Mr. Seán Moynihan. ALONE is an organisation that supports…

I congratulate the Ceann Comhairle on his election for a second term. I thank the people of Waterford city and county who voted for me and I also congratulate all my colleagues elected in Waterford, especially our two new TDs, Deputies Shanahan and Ó Cathasaigh. They are very welcome to the Thirty-third Dáil. I am also conscious of all the colleagues we have lost. There are many new faces here today but we have also lost many colleagues. I am also conscious of the staff members who no longer have jobs as a result o…