We have had yet another week without a roadmap for the reopening of the health service. We are coming to the end of a very expensive deal with private hospitals. In recent weeks, I urged the Minister to ensure that all of that additional capacity was used to make progress with the public hospital waiting lists because we are paying very dearly for that extra capacity. The other area of extra capacity is in Citywest, where we are paying €25 million for a 1,000-bed facility which is being completely underused. We are…

I have given the Minister notice of my intention to raise an urgent and serious matter with him today. It concerns the brain tumour research study proposed by Beaumont Hospital and Genomics Medicine Ireland, a commercial company that intends to use the DNA from brain tissue samples obtained from tumour patients. Research in this area is critically important but it should be carried out under the auspices of a State body, which ensures appropriate regulation, transparency and public buy-in with a specific public ben…

The Minister has not explained why he cannot extend the deadline. Given that Beaumont Hospital is a State-funded body, will he undertake to pick up the telephone to the hospital today to speak to the person or section responsible and request very seriously that the deadline be extended? There are lots of questions around this entire project. I have serious concerns about it but the most urgent aspect is that the deadline needs to be extended. Will the Minister undertake to do that today?

Time does not permit anything further on this-----

-----but I do have serious concerns about that panel and I will return to this issue when time allows because I think it is of the utmost importance.

There is another point I want to raise. A couple of weeks ago I raised with the Minister here the funding crisis facing many disability organisations for various reasons, Covid obviously, but also resulting from the €20 million cut that took place earlier this year in January. Two weeks ago in this House the Minister stated: Being blunt and honest, they will not be in a position to achieve [this cut] and I have made that clear to them. We need to look at how we can formalise that and provide them with peace of mind…

I take it from what the Minister is saying that it sounds like good news-----

-----and that €20 million at least will be reinstated. I hope I am correct in that and that there will be news soon. The third issue I want to raise is the question of Citywest. The HSE is paying at least €25 million for the use of the Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre as an isolation facility and field hospital and it has the use of that facility up to the end of October. Earlier, the Minister referred to the long-promised HSE roadmap. I am concerned that we are running out of time in the arrangement with the p…

Does the Minister accept that there is considerable potential for making progress through the waiting lists if these facilities that we are paying for are used properly? One sees it often in the private sector where somebody goes in for elective surgery, he or she is only in for one night or possibly two nights, and then goes in to another facility, which is often a hotel. We should be maximising the use of that. It is shocking to see facilities like this lying idle at a time when so many more services are required…

As we start the slow move back to some kind of normality, and it is hoped we will be able to move on to phase 2 from Monday, it is important again to recognise the great efforts by the public in complying with the advice and in succeeding in not only flattening the curve but driving the virus out to a large extent. It is also important to acknowledge the heroic efforts by front-line workers, particularly in the health service but also those many front-line workers who have kept the country open, including retail wo…

I welcome the Minister's announcement that the review of A Vision for Change will be published next week. The next step is to urgently establish the implementation group so that action can be commenced in regard to existing challenges and the very substantial Covid-related mental health challenges that are emerging. I urge the Minister to make an early announcement in that regard. On Tuesday, the IMO appeared before the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response, where it made a very strong case for urgent attention to…

Let us not lose them.

First of all I will return to issues that arose yesterday at the meeting of the Special Committee on Covid-19 Response and to two questions I posed to HIQA. The first related to infection control reports. HIQA had carried out annual assessments and repeat offenders came to light - nursing homes about which there were particular concerns. We were told by the chief inspector that this list was sent to the Department in February and March and drew attention to HIQA's concerns in respect of Covid and poor infection con…

The chief inspector said there was a series of communications.

However, it seems that critical weeks were lost.

I am asking about the 19 centres that were highlighted and what the specific response was in regard to them.

I do not think that is accurate.

This was based on a series of infection control assessments that were done over a number of years.

Let us read the letter.

That does not answer the question but let us leave it. Will the Minister answer my other question about the lack of critical oversight?