I will get a detailed answer for the Deputy. I raised the issue of the German lab myself. I understand we are in contract with the laboratory, which was an important measure when we were trying rapidly to scale up capacity. I will ask the HSE for an update. I will give some of the latest figures on testing. We now have capacity for 100,000 tests a week. We are in a positive position of not needing the full capacity, but that is what NPHET recommends we should be able to scale up to. The testing and contact tracing …

On contact tracing, the view expressed by the WHO and international groups is that Ireland is doing very well. Our contact tracing app has been, and continues to be, a great success. The latest figure is that more than 1.4 million people have downloaded it, which is about one third of the target population. It is much higher than many other countries. The team that developed the app told me that because the infection numbers are thankfully very low in Ireland, they thought it would take several weeks for the app to…

To respond to Deputy O'Donoghue, we are acutely aware of the percentages of people who have not turned up for tests. There is a lower percentage of people who have not turned up for a second test, which is also required. My understanding is that people who attend their GP clinic and say they are symptomatic are referred for a test, and that there is a very high compliance rate in such cases because they contact their GP and say they are worried. The rate is lower for close contacts where they do not feel any sympto…

I thank the Deputy for those very pertinent questions and I will do my best to go through them. I could not agree more with the Deputy on the capacity issue. Before Covid-19 arrived we did not have enough capacity. We had the lowest number of consultants per capita in the OECD and second-lowest level of acute beds. There were non-safe staffing levels for nurses and midwives. The Deputy and I have spoken together at length about the lack of capacity and even if Covid-19 had not arrived, we would have a massive capac…

I thank the Deputy. Her questions were being put quicker than I was able to write them down so I ask her to bear with me. I will revert to her in writing on the ones we cannot reach. In terms of GP expansion and capacity, we brought legislation through the House last night to expand free GP care for children from the age of seven up to and including those aged 12 years. It is being done in three phases: six and seven year olds, eight and nine year olds; and ten, 11 and 12 year olds. However, we have to be very care…

I thank Deputy Niamh Smyth for her congratulations. I assure her that the work rate has not diminished since we were in opposition. It is fair to say that it has increased substantially. I thank the Deputy for her question on the Border counties. This is a profoundly important matter. It affects the Border counties most severely but it is a question for the whole island. There is absolute agreement that the best approach is an all-island approach, because this disease does not care a damn whether it is north or sou…

Before I speak on the Bill, I wish to say what a great honour it is to be here in the Seanad. I am sorry that we are all moonlighting in the Dáil Chamber but I am very much looking forward to stepping into the hallowed grounds of Ireland's Upper House at some point. It is a huge honour and privilege to hold the office and to be here with Senators today to debate this Bill. Thank you for your good wishes, a Leas-Chathaoirligh. There is quite the task ahead in healthcare in the Covid world. It is my pleasure to intro…

I will give my concluding speech but I have taken pages of notes from which I will try to pull some of the big themes, if the Cathaoirleach agrees.

Excellent. I thank the Senators for their valuable contributions. I have taken many notes, as have my officials. It has been a thoughtful and important debate, both on the Bill before us and on the issues surrounding the Bill. The Senators' keen support and observations are very helpful, and we will keep them in mind. As Senator Higgins said, it would have been nice to have had input into the Bill as the debate proceeded but we are compressing it. Nonetheless, the Bill has an implementation aspect to it and the var…

----- is to continue to expand that. I thank Members for their support for the Bill and what it is trying to do. I have taken a lot of notes and I apologise in advance as, inevitably, I will not be able to speak to all the points raised. Some were local. Myself or the team will revert to Senators with updates. Regarding Covid, public health officials have been increasingly worried over the past five weeks. The number of new cases per week was climbing considerably. A key number they look at is the cumulative number…

Before I move the Order for Second Stage, with the permission of the Acting Chairman, Deputy Durkan, I would like to give an update on where we are in terms of Covid. There is some good news. On the one hand, the number of cases per week has been rising, which is something we have all been watching. In the past four weeks, the number of cases went from 61 cases in a week to 93 cases, to 124 cases and last week we hit 143 cases. At the same time, the average number of close contacts is still high at more than five. …

I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time." It is my pleasure to introduce the Health (General Practitioner Service and Alteration of Criteria for Eligibility) Bill 2020 to the Dáil. Today marks another important step in working towards achieving the Sláintecare principle of universal access to care at low cost or no cost. This Bill provides for two key measures that are central to achieving universal access to healthcare in a manner that is fair and affordable: a welcome increase to the gross income limits …

I thank all of the Deputies for their contributions, many of which were thoughtful and detailed in terms of the specific legislation before us and the two measures it contains. There has been a wider constructive debate around healthcare as well. It is a conversation we need to keep going. I have taken pages of notes. We will find more opportunities for continuing that conversation, including the scheduled statement and question-and-answer session in the House tomorrow on Covid-19. I acknowledge that a lot of work,…

Section 2 concerns the income limits for those over 70 who apply for the medical card. I will use this opportunity to respond to Deputy Cullinane and the other Deputies who have, understandably, asked questions about timing. It is a question many people are asking. I will answer a similar question on GP eligibility when we get to that section, seeing as we are strictly adhering to sections and what is in them. This relates to people over 70. This criterion was in the last budget to be implemented this year, as were…

That is not what I said.

I agree with the Deputies. We are looking to put this together as quickly as possible. What I wanted to clarify for the House is the factual position. This measure was contingent upon savings. Those savings have not materialised. As we all know, the opposite is the case and the healthcare system is looking for significantly more cash to deal with the Covid pandemic. For the information of the House, what I am saying is that we are strongly supportive of this measure. It is the reason it is the first legislative mea…

I thank the Deputies for the questions. They are exactly the right questions. I made my position on this very clear in the past; general practice does not have enough capacity. The contract was signed more than 40 years ago and a new one is urgently needed. Some very good work was done to augment the existing contract, including moves towards the management of chronic disease in the community. That was done in consultation with the Irish Medical Organisation, IMO, and general practitioners. It was a very useful ste…

Deputy Cullinane and I are in danger of vigorously agreeing with each other. I agree with him. He says that we propose to increase the workload without increasing capacity. We do not. I am saying the opposite of that. That is the reason for the phased approach. There are several steps to this. We in this House need to create the legal framework for it, and that is what we are doing tonight. Once we do that, we can sit down with the Irish Medical Organisation, representing general practice, and say that this is the …

I start by thanking Deputy Lahart for raising this matter. I join him in offering my sincere condolences to the family of Dr. Waqqar Ali, as well as the doctor's friends and colleagues, some of who were in touch with me today to share very kind words about their colleague and what an extraordinary man and dedicated doctor he was. Along with Deputy Lahart I saw the interviews with the good doctor's children today on RTÉ and it was absolutely heartbreaking. We honour his work, and as Deputy Lahart has said, the work …

I thank Deputy Lahart for that. I think we have covered the issue but it is worth repeating that the scheme that will be brought in will be for all front-line workers. It includes section 38 organisations, section 39 organisations and nursing homes. Many people who are working in nursing homes do not have these protections. We will make sure that they have them. The Deputy referenced the infection rates among healthcare workers of which we need to be very cognisant. I met three of the unions yesterday that represen…