National Public Health Emergency Team

Tuesday, 9 June 2020

Questions (398, 399)

Alan Kelly

Question:

398. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health the dates for which he approved of and appointed each member of NPHET in tabular form. [10144/20]

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399. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Health if persons were appointed to NPHET without his knowledge or prior approval; and if so, the way in which and when the appointments occurred. [10145/20]

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Written answers

Minister for Health

I propose to take Questions Nos. 398 and 399 together.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) structure is a long-standing mechanism utilised over many years to steer health service responses to public health emergencies as required by Ireland’s obligations under the World Health Organization’s International Health Regulations.

These Regulations require State parties to establish multidisciplinary/multisectoral teams to respond to events that may constitute a public health emergency of international concern. This necessitates flexibility in the composition of these national teams in order that they can appropriately respond to major public health emergencies.

As the Deputy is aware, the NPHET for COVID-19 is accountable to me as Minister for Health and is made up of senior public officials of the Department of Health and a number of relevant State Agencies, in addition to highly qualified subject matter experts from disciplines such as virology, infectious diseases, intensive care etc. who are among the leading practitioners in their fields in this country.

The NPHET can add to its membership on the basis of the additional expertise or support it identifies as being required so as to ensure that it is in the best possible position to provide the advice and recommendations for consideration by the Minister for Health and the Government. These are the criteria on which the NPHET identifies the requirement for particular expertise. This flexibility in approach to selection is necessary for a group such as this in the context of an international public health crisis of the kind we are currently experiencing due to the pandemic, and give effect to Ireland’s obligations to the WHO.

A wide range of documentation related to NPHET, including as regards the governance process under which operates, has been published to date and it is intended to continue this process to ensure that the process by which the NPHET's recommendations have been reached is as transparent as possible.

Question No. 400 answered with Question No. 312.