Author Archives: Bodger

From top: Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy; Taoiseach Micheál Martin this afternoon

This afternoon,

Further to the contact-tracing brouhaha…

Taoiseach Micheál Martin told Social Democrats co-founder Catherine Murphy in the Dail:

“I’ve been in touch with the people directly responsible and overseeing the whole testing and community testing within the HSE and this is…what I’m imparting here to you is I’ve been informed by the HSE in terms of this.

“There is no issue with resources, in terms of the government side, in terms of funding all of this because it has to happen.”

Ms Murphy responded:

“Taoiseach, we know that the public will play their part but the State has to play its part. We need absolute assurance that we’re going to have a system that’s going to be in place after this lockdown that we can feel confident about.

“Have you confidence in this recruitment company because I certainly have my doubts. Have you confidence that you’re being briefed in the way you need to be briefed in terms of when there’s a failure.

Two weeks ago, we heard a senior public health person having to take to the airwaves, saying just how under pressure they were. It was no surprise that what happened at the weekend happened.

“It was predicted by virtue of the fact that they were saying that they were nearing collapse. We can’t have a scenario then where we find out something, and you did find out when somebody texted you an article in The Irish Times, I would have thought that you be fully informed by the people who need to inform you of something that is going to be, that is a big problem.

That people are being asked to DIY contact tracing. Two thousand people are being asked, that’s not good enough, Taoiseach.

“Surely you don’t think that’s good enough….”

Meanwhile…

HSE National Lead for Testing and Tracing Niamh O’Beirne

This morning.

Niamh O’Beirne, National Lead for Testing and Tracing, told RTÉ, that more contact tracers are being hired but admitted:

“Over the summer, we had released back the staff from contact-tracing to frontline and very important frontline work and university work where people had been working or supporting our tracing….”

Ms O’Beirne added:

“Over the weekend we did not have enough staff to deal with demand and that’s what created the backlog of cases which we’re now trying to deal with.”

Listen back in full here.

The Square Tallaght, under construction (above), was opened on October 23, 1990

Stop that.

This morning.

The Square, Tallaght, Dublin 24.

Security officer Jade Corrigan, Dustin the Turkey and the gentleman operating him (out of picture) celebrate The Square’s 30th birthday .

The country’s biggest shopping centre with 700,000 square feet of retail space, The Square has been an integral part of the Tallaght community and its environs since its launch in 1990 (in fairness).

The Square

From top: People with Covid positive tests will be notified by text today and asked to trace recent contacts; At the launch of the Department of Health and HSE COVID Tracker App is Stephen Donnelly Minister for Health (right), and Paul Reid, Chief Executive Officer, HSE, outside the Department of Health, Dublin last July

Ask them to sit down first.

Via Irish Times and RTÉ:

Between last Friday and Sunday, more than 3,000 Covid-19 cases were confirmed and people with a positive test result over the three days were notified by text.

Instead of the usual contact tracing involving phone calls, they will today receive a second text.

It will ask them to send on a message to their own close contacts – people they have spent more than 15 minutes with – alerting them to restrict their movements and to immediately contact their GP to arrange a test.

Meanwhile…

Via The Irish Examiner:

The Government have been accused of “dropping the ball” in not employing enough staff which has led to a “collapse” in the contact tracing system.

Serious delays in employing up to 1,500 qualified people who signed up to the ‘Be on Call for Ireland initiative’ have been blamed, with both GPs and opposition members hitting out at the breakdown in contact tracing in recent days.

Covid-19: Backlog forces HSE to skip calls to thousands of close contacts (Irish Times)

HSE asks people who tested positive at weekend to alert close contacts (RTÉ)

Government under fire over contact tracing ‘collapse’ (irish Examiner)

Getty/RollingNews

Yesterday.

Grand Canal, Dublin 2.

Harry Warren

The Grand Canal looks resplendent in Autumn colours, it immediately brings to mind Paddy Kavanagh’s poem ‘Lines Written on a Seat on the Grand Canal, Dublin‘…

This morning.

Earlier…

Minister for Children, Disabilty, Equality and Integration Roderic O’Gorman

Proposed amendments by the Minister to the Commission of Investigation (Mother and Baby Homes and certain related Matters) Records and another matter, Bill 2020

This morning.

Children’s minister Roderic O’Gorman has proposed two amendments to legislation which would seal all records of the Mother and baby Home Commission for 30 years.

Via The Irish Examiner:

The first amendment will provide for the commission to remain in existence beyond the submission of its final report to engage with the survivors, to confirm which of them want their story to be made public and those who request anonymity, in order for all those involved to be accommodated and without it delaying the submission of its final report on October 30.

The second would see a copy of the database and related records deposited with the minister as part of the archive so that the records of the commission would be held as a singular, complete archive.

This will maintain a single sealed archive, while still ensuring that the database and related records can transfer to Tusla and remain available for use in accordance with existing and future statute.

One TD, who has seen the amendments, said: “I have never gotten so many phone calls in my time as a TD as I have about this, and the public think you can open the whole thing and they won’t be able to do that. I don’t know that this will satisfy people. They do deal with some of the major issues, but I’m not sure they’ll quell discontent.”

Anger grows over sealing of mother and baby home records for 30 years (Irish Examiner)

Meanwhile….

In  fairness.

The bill will be debated in the Dáil tonight.

Previously: No Justification Has Been Given For Why This Material Needs To Be Sealed’

RollingNews

From top: Doctor Owen O Flynn discusses his experience with Covid-19 watched by Dr Tony Holohan, Chief Medical Officer, Department of Health at a briefing last week; Senator Michael McDowell

This morning.

Independent Senator Michael McDowell in the Irish Times has called for public access to NPHET’s data, “raw or distilled” and its briefing or advice so its decisions can be “understood and evaluated”.

He writes:

If decisions are to be taken by the Government on the basis of Nphet data, modelling, projections and advice, is there any case for one comma of it to be kept secret? Is there any justification for according Nphet the function of sole State advocate or editor or interpreter of unseen data or propagator of secret proposals?

With Nphet allies being granted access to the airwaves to predict 20,000 or 30,000 deaths as has recently happened, surely we are entitled to know exactly what scenarios were painted by Nphet for the Government’s consideration – and in minute detail?

We know that some of their advice around nursing homes has been wrong in the past. Likewise, we know that they have flip-flopped dramatically on the safety and utility of mask-wearing.

Exactly what were the proportions of the projected crisis that they outlined to the Government which persuaded Ministers including the sceptical Leo Varadkar to “come on board” the Nphet agenda?

Senator McDowell added:

On September 3rd, RTÉ broadcast an item about an unfortunate young doctor who contracted Covid at the age of 23. The nation was informed in detail of the very serious effects and the dangers he encountered during his treatment.

A month later, the same young doctor was presented by Nphet at its daily press conference to repeat his sorry tale. That demonstrates that Nphet does not consider itself to be a purely advisory body to the Government, but also accords itself an advocacy role.

Michael McDowell: What exactly is the price of accepting this Nphet advice? (Irish Times)

Previously: Doogie O’Howser

RollingNews

This morning.

Direct Provision, a ‘temporary measure’ introduced in 2000 to process asylum seekers, may be replaced.

Via The Irish Times:

A “groundbreaking” accommodation scheme and asylum process forecast to cost millions less than the current direct provision system has been proposed to replace it by a Government expert group, The Irish Times has learned.

It’s understood the proposed model will cost €35.9 million less than what direct provision cost in 2019.

It proposes that first instance decisions on asylum applications be made within six months, as is required under the European Communities recast Reception Conditions Directive, which Ireland opted into in July 2018.

Under the new system, asylum seekers will spend up to three months in a State-owned reception centre where they undergo a vulnerability assessment, receive legal advice and begin their application for international protection.

Applicants will then be transferred to own-door accommodation which will be overseen by local authorities through a separate housing budget

Groundbreaking’ direct provision replacement forecast to save millions (irish Times)

Pic: Masi