Special Committee on Covid-19 Response to discuss nursing homes and direct provision centres

Deputies will hold three separate sessions in the Dáil Chamber throughout the day with witnesses giving evidence from the Dáil Chamber and via video screen from Committee Room 1.

• Nursing Homes Ireland, Chief Executive Officer, Tadhg Daly and Sage Advocacy, Executive Director Mervyn Taylor will appear before the Committee to discuss nursing homes at 11.10am.
• The discussion will resume when Health Information Quality Authority (HIQA), Chief Executive Officer, Phelim Quinn and HSE representatives appear before the Committee at 2pm.
• The Committee will discuss direct provision centres with officials from the Department of Justice and Equality and from the HSE at 4.30pm.

Speaking before the meeting, Committee Chairman, Michael McNamara TD said: “More than half of the people who died from Covid 19 were living in nursing homes. Hundreds of healthcare workers in nursing homes have been infected with the virus and a significant number of clusters of infection have been reported in nursing homes where more than 31,000 people in Ireland live.

“We welcome Nursing Homes Ireland, the national representative body of the private and voluntary nursing home sector and HIQA, the body responsible for the monitoring and inspection of nursing homes, before the Committee to hear how they responded to the pandemic from the outset and how they are responding now to ensure the safety of nursing home residents and staff.”

Deputy McNamara added: “The Committee will also discuss conditions and infection control in direct provision centres across the country with officials from the Department of Justice and Equality and HSE.”

Watch the Committee live here.