I am talking about the physical constraints in emergency departments where people are too close together or do not have beds or wards while they are waiting to go into the acute hospital. Beyond the physical constraints, however, are the recruitment problems. It is no good having a bed and a ward without staff. In the event of a second wave or another infection or coronavirus, we will need more staff. Is there a plan to redeploy or retrain staff from other areas? Could theatre nurses be redeployed to intensive care…

I would like to ask the Minister about visitors to residential care facilities. Many people have not had a chance to have physical contact with their parents or grandparents since March. They can now see them through a screen but it is not quite the same thing. There is a balance between quality of life and infection control. None of us will live forever. The idea of keeping people physically separated from their children and their grandchildren is very difficult to bear. Is it possible for the Minister to go back …

I want to ask first about the status of the Covid tracking app. I understand that this app will always be in addition to normal contact tracing, not a replacement, but it could make the tracking effort much more effective. If we are in a situation where we are at risk of future infections or a second wave, it could be very good to have this additional measure in place. Has beta testing started on the app and, if so, how many people are involved and when is it expected to launch?

The Minister has been asked by a number of Deputies about the reopening of hairdressing services, to which he has said that he will consult NPHET and the latter will come back with recommendations. Ultimately, it is a decision for the Minister and the Cabinet as to how to proceed in this matter. There is no personal benefit for me in asking this question as it is a long time since I had any use for the services of a hairdresser but it is a matter of comfort and confidence for many people. Hairdressers, whose busine…

I thank the Minister. I would like to discuss how it is proposed to monitor the risk of a second wave of infections. There are worrying signs. For example, the schools in Beijing have been closed again. I understand there are 12 states in the United States that have a rising rate of infection. On what basis will the Government decide to roll back on particular measures? For example, is there a specific value of the R-nought that it is tracking? Can the Minister indicate what the criteria are or is it simply a matte…

Several months ago at the start of this epidemic I asked about sick pay for people who do not have it and the introduction of emergency measures to prevent the virus spreading. If people who traditionally do not have sick pay are forced to go to work, the virus could spread as a result. Emergency measures were brought in by this House. I am receiving telephone calls from constituents who work in private nursing homes to the effect that they are no longer entitled to sick pay. Have the emergency measures expired? I …

When will we have our detailed roadmap for the reopening of medical services? We have a roadmap that specifies when social services and businesses will reopen. For example, we know that on 20 July people can go to the hairdresser's but we do not know when they can, for example, get a cervical check or breast check. The HSE website simply states: Breast screening is paused until further notice. It will begin again when it is safe to do so. In other words, there is no indication or prediction as to when that will hap…

I thank the Minister for that answer. It will be within two weeks. We are all aware that there are profound implications for mental health from the pandemic. Yet, as far as I know, A Vision for Change is 14 years old and requires to be updated. I know there have been reports from people like Catherine Day on trying to improve mental health strategy. Can the Minister outline to the House where we are on getting an updated mental health strategy and whether the document is likely to be published?

Is the Minister saying it will be in the next few weeks?

I want to move on to scenario planning. In general, the simple way of planning for things is that we look at what is likely to happen based on what has happened in the past. Things continue on and they go along a line. However, because this is a novel coronavirus and we do not know exactly what path the disease will take, there are several different possibilities that have profound implications across different sectors of society. It covers everything from whether a double-decker bus carries 17, 35 or 50 people to …

I suppose I can ask about it at a meeting of the Covid-19 committee. I want to speak to international travel within Europe. Every country has its own roadmap and part of that is reopening international travel, and every country is coming up with different rules. There is a lack of symmetry or reciprocity in this. A person may be quarantined on arriving in a country but would not be quarantined on returning home, which makes no sense. Will the Minister update us on efforts to co-ordinate the strategy across Europe?

I thank the Minister.

Last week I asked if we could find a mechanism to pay our radiography students in the same way that we found a mechanism to pay our nursing students, given that they are putting themselves and their families at risk by working. The Minister told me he would ask his Department to come forward with proposals for other students usefully working in the health service and whom we need. He said, "I hope to bottom that out before we meet here again". I am here for an answer, not for me but for the radiography students who…

I wish to share my time with Deputy O'Gorman. Are we paying our radiography students? I understand that the student nurses are now being paid. Out of fairness, they should have an equal deal. They are dealing directly with Covid-19 patients every day. I also want to ask about the power to prescribe. I am aware that the Minister has issued an executive order broadening the power to prescribe to pharmacists. That is welcome. Optometrists have asked to have the power to prescribe antibiotic eye drops to take the press…

More than ever before, people around the country are suffering from mental health problems. Has guidance been provided to mental health services on how to deliver standard mental health services to people by video call, both to protect the patients and the healthcare workers? I understand that has already happened in the UK. The Taoiseach told us there is no roadmap for how to exit this crisis. We need one because we need to know how to reopen the economy and get back to normal. A roadmap has been published by Dr. …

Yes.

The Taoiseach made a frightening prediction last week that 15,000 people would contract this disease by the end of the month. Then on Thursday, the Tánaiste added to that by raising the possibility that tens of thousands of people could die. Since then, the country has pulled together and people have followed the advice. The data show that although the disease is still spreading, the speed of that spread has slowed down somewhat. The changes in public behaviour have just bought us some time. Doctors are saying clea…

Everything changes when a doctor says that the life of someone's loved one is at risk. The things that person worried about yesterday - money and deadlines - melt away; now health is the only thing that matters. The person's family is clearly focused on doing everything to recover. Right now that one goal, to recover, is shared by the entire country. That is why we are considering this law to remove worries about money and to focus on health. In normal times we lead different and separate lives, but these are not n…

I thank the people of Dún Laoghaire for electing me. I am honoured to represent them in this historic Chamber and I look forward to doing everything I can to represent Dún Laoghaire. I also thank the various Deputies with whom I have spent time in recent weeks from the four parties that the Green Party has met. That has been a very useful first step. I look forward to meeting Deputies from Solidarity, if they will meet me, and Independent Deputies. We are willing to speak with everybody and look forward to that pro…