There is no question but that the recruitment process needed to be streamlined. The HSE has looked at it and it has streamlined it. Issues are being raised which to all of us might seem very strange and superfluous to hiring vaccinators. I have looked into those issues for the very reasons the Deputy raises. Retired doctors are being asked for their leaving certificate results. That might seem utterly superfluous to us. How anyone did in their question on Shakespeare really does not matter in terms of vaccinating a…

It will be difficult to get through all of the questions. Deputy MacSharry, who was screaming for zero Covid about five or six days ago is now screaming that we are not opening up quickly enough.

With regard to long Covid, it is something I can revert to Deputy Colm Burke on.

I am more than happy to engage with Deputy Colm Burke on that matter. The short answer is that I agree with his position that we need some resources for this. We need to work here and internationally to make sure that we have the best possible treatments in place.

With regard to elective hospitals, I am more than happy to revert to Deputy Colm Burke and meet him to discuss the position. This is a crucial issue and I assure the Deputy that no decisions have been made in terms of the type of operations he has talked about at this point.

I thank the Acting Chair. I tried to address Deputy Colm Burke's questions. He may not have heard that over the wailing of Deputy MacSharry. With regard to Deputy O'Donnell's questions, I fully agree that as soon as it is deemed safe by local clinical leads, we must have as much visitation in maternity hospitals as possible. I fully support his view that the phenomenal reduction in cases we have seen in healthcare settings should allow for that. I hope he agrees that we have to respect and back local clinical advic…

Will I keep going with Deputy O'Donnell's questions?

I think I have addressed Deputy Colm Burke's questions.

It has been agreed that any of the Defence Forces being deployed overseas are being vaccinated. That has been and remains the case. I share the Deputy's view on those who are homebound. The national ambulance service is working very hard to ensure those who cannot make it to their GP, hospital or vaccination centre will be visited in their house. Our approach is that no one will be left behind. I share the Deputy's view on ensuring that.

If they are incapable of getting to a vaccination centre we will find ways of ensuring that everybody gets vaccinated. On progress, the detail of the plan announced two days ago shows the various measures that open up from 12 April, 19 April and 26 April and the things that will be considered for May. I take the Deputy's point, and some European countries have said that certain things will be possible after specific age groups are vaccinated, but we are keeping the situation under close review particularly in light…

I share the Deputy's enthusiasm and happiness at the progress on the second cath lab. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, has worked very hard on that and I also recognise Deputy Shanahan's efforts. We had spoken during the last Dáil with local cardiologists. It has been a core focus and is in the programme for Government. It is very welcome for the people of Waterford. It is clear we need a comprehensive ICT system for issues like this. The teams are using various different systems. They have linked them togethe…

I thank the Deputy for the question. Those who are housebound are an absolute priority for us. We are talking about people who are very vulnerable and who, as the Deputy says, are often elderly. It is essential that they be protected as quickly as possible. The National Ambulance Service is working very hard to this end. It is moving through the country. The people the Deputy is talking about are being identified by their GPs and the data are being fed to the National Ambulance Service, which is contacting the rele…

I thank the Deputy for his questions. Antigen testing is a matter the Deputy and I have been discussing for some time. I am of the view that there is a greater role for it than we have seen to date. I appointed an expert group, led by Professor Mark Ferguson, to examine this issue. The group has reported back and I am publishing the report today. It is important to note that there are highly credible experts on both sides of the argument, some of whom are very strong supporters of rapid testing and others of whom h…

I thank the Deputy for his questions. The reason NIAC made its proposal, the reason NPHET endorsed it and the reason I brought it to the Cabinet and the Cabinet agreed to it was the very strong evidence that the single biggest predictor in terms of risk is age, particularly when, as we are aware, those with underlying conditions are already prioritised in cohorts 4 and 7, for example. The group we are now talking about comprises people who do not have underlying conditions. Let me give the Deputy and other colleagu…

I might make one point in response to the previous Deputy. This is a question and answer session. He asked really important questions and I really want to engage with him and answer them but he has never once, in any week, given me time to answer him. If he makes statements in the House, I cannot answer him. If he wants written statements-----

-----there is the system we all use, which is parliamentary questions.

Can I take a bit more time to respond to Deputy Healy-Rae? What I am saying to him is-----

-----I want to engage with him but he must leave time for me to respond to his questions.

Thank you, chairman. With regard to those who are homebound, it is an absolute priority. We are acutely aware of exactly the kinds of cases that Deputy Healy-Rae talked about. In many cases, people who are very vulnerable have not left their homes in a year. The National Ambulance Service is working very hard. It is moving through this cohort and GPs are identifying patients who were not able to make it to either the GP clinic or the vaccination centre, and the National Ambulance Service is going to their houses---…

I will get the Deputy a note on the timing but the process is as I have outlined. With regard to people being trained as vaccinators, if there are issues such as people not being able to get the information, the Deputy might let me know and I will act on it straight away. It is certainly the case that the hiring process appears to have been more burdensome initially. The HSE has moved to streamline it as much as possible but if there are specific issues, the Deputy might contact me directly.