Let us look at this exact same issue from another angle. Listen to these words: "We are having big outbreaks that we simply cannot get a handle on because we don't have the resources." Those are the words of a public health employee that were reported in the Irish Examiner last night. One of her colleagues reported that 150 new cases came in over the weekend but that none of her staff could go near any of them because they are run off their feet and did not have time to do so. Dr. Ann Dee, a consultant in public health medicine, told the Irish Examiner: "Unless the country wants to live in lockdown permanently every few weeks for the rest of the winter then the government needs to give us staff to be able to handle what is happening." She added: "The regional public health system is as close to collapse as it has been than at any time before." The Government line is that there is a multimillion euro recruitment package that will benefit the regional public health departments soon enough. Dr. Dee's reply to that is that she does not expect to see any new boots on the ground until early in the new year, which is at least three months away. What will happen in the meantime?

I am a supporter of masking up. I am opposed to the Tánaiste's suggestion that people should be fined €50 for not wearing a mask. I am in favour of voluntary compliance with restrictions and I am confident the Irish people will accept increased restrictions if they are demonstrably necessary to defend public health and if the proper supports are put in place. What sticks in the throats of people, however, is the fact that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have failed to build a strong public health service capable of withstanding a powerful wave of the virus and that lockdown may be necessary to compensate for those failures.

Dr. Chris Luke, based in Cork city, told The Echo that there were no critical care beds available in Cork city hospitals on Monday night and that there were just five general beds available. Is that a surprise when the State has 6.5 ICU beds per 100,000 of the population? In Germany, by contrast, the figure is 38.7, which is six times higher. In 2018, this country had 2.3 general hospital beds per 1,000 of the population. Thirty years earlier, in 1988, the figure was nine, which was nearly four times higher.

When Dr. Mary Favier told "Morning Ireland" that she supports level 5 because she fears there will not be a bed available for someone who has had a bad traffic accident or needs emergency cardiac surgery in November, she made a point that was less about the power of the virus and more about the failures of successive Governments. I have two questions. First, can the Taoiseach fast-track the recruitment of the new public health staff that Dr. Ann Dee expects to see on the ground in the new year, and can the bulk of those staff be put into position within the next month? Second, restrictions are on the increase. There needs to be an increase in the supports. What is the Taoiseach's view on restoring the pandemic unemployment payment to €350, reintroducing the blanket ban on evictions and seriously extending the mortgage moratorium?

There will be no resources spared in the public health response. The Minister for Health has already announced a doubling of public health doctors. I spoke with the Chief Medical Officer this morning on this issue, among others. Again, we are in agreement that anything we can do to fast-track the recruitment and appointment of other staff will happen.

As the Deputy knows, with regard to the testing regime, the first 500 community swabbers are through the interview process and are going into compliance checking. The first new staff start on 8 October. With regard to contact tracing, the first 400 people are through the interview process. There were 65 new staff this week, on 6 October, and there are to be 70 next week, on 12 October. We expect to continue to bring in 60 to 70 new staff every week, which will help to free up resources in the wider health service and also get a specific, stronger workforce in place on the contact tracing and swabbing side. The public health service faces a challenge owing to Covid-19. Of that there is no doubt, but the resources have been provided and will not be spared in ensuring that what must be done will be done. I have made that very clear, and so has the Minister for Health.

This year, because of Covid-19, the Government will have allocated substantial funding to intervene to support people regarding their incomes and to support employers to try to keep businesses viable. That will continue. We have to have a sustainable model for the pandemic unemployment payment. The whole idea was to make sure we could sustain this until April 2021 and beyond considering the financial and economic implications.

Moving to level 3 is already having a significant impact on the number of new claims. As of the close of business last night, we have received 17,000 new claims for the pandemic unemployment payment. Normally, there would be between 1,000 and 2,000 claims per day. Given the move to level 3, additional claims are expected. A rough estimate based on experience in Dublin and Donegal indicates that between 40,000 and 50,000 extra claims could be made this week as a result of moving to level 3. That is how serious moving to level 3 or any higher level is. It has clear financial and economic implications. The Government has taken that on board and will have a very high deficit this year, of over €20 billion. Obviously, we will be recalibrating figures as a result of moving to level 3. The economic consequences are significant, including for individuals who lose their jobs and so on. We want to try to be fair to all concerned and give people a support, by way of the pandemic unemployment payment, that is close to what they were earning prior to losing their job in the first instance.