It has been announced that residents in hospitals and nursing homes will be allowed to receive one visit per week. I understand that this is to protect them and other residents but we are now eight months into this pandemic; is there nothing more that we can do to ensure that families can see their parents, children or siblings who may be in hospitals? The issue of antigen testing and the screening opportunities it provides was discussed by EU leaders, including the Taoiseach, in November. Surely people who are willing to undergo regular testing or screening, as healthcare staff do, should be able to visit elderly or young relatives in hospitals or nursing homes or to accompany elderly relatives to tests. I recall bringing my late father to a test in University Hospital Limerick and we had to walk for literally kilometres. He would not have been able to do that alone, and he was not unique in that. We need to allow for a degree of humanity in our healthcare system.

The situation in nursing homes is heart-rending and very difficult. This was presented well last night by RTÉ's "Prime Time", which assessed the situation. From a humane point of view, this is very difficult and sad for residents and their families. It is heartbreaking to see the individual stories of wives who are not able to meet their husbands and vice versa. We have to take strong advice on this issue because the other side of the story is that nursing home residents bore the brunt of the first phase of Covid. There were very high mortality rates in our nursing homes. We are very anxious to prevent a reoccurrence of this during the second phase and through the remainder of the pandemic. That is where the balance has to be struck. On antigen testing, the HSE is looking at applying it in certain healthcare settings. Hospital settings may be first and we may follow on from there.