I want to raise with the Taoiseach a very important issue in respect of which clarification is needed. Last week, my local radio station, LMFM, made a number of claims in respect of the HSE temporary accommodation programme. It claimed that the HSE is using a local hotel under the scheme to accommodate healthcare workers who are Covid positive and those who are not Covid positive. It has also claimed that a healthcare worker who contracted the Covid virus while at work was told to stay at the hotel to isolate as they live with people who are considered to be vulnerable.

I contacted the HSE but we need full transparency and clarification on this matter. The HSE, in its reply, stated: "Under no circumstances are Covid-19 positive healthcare workers accommodated in hotels by the HSE." The HSE also confirmed that the temporary accommodation scheme is available to: healthcare workers who are living in shared accommodation with other health service workers; those who work in potentially Covid-positive environments; and individuals who may have people who are in high-risk categories and who are vulnerable to infection in their home settings and who, therefore, cannot return to those settings between shifts. The scheme is also available to healthcare workers who live with people who have been instructed to self-quarantine or who are required to work longer than usual shifts or overtime and who will not have time to return home between shifts.

It has also been confirmed by the HSE that there are procedures in place for those workers who contract coronavirus and who are housed under the temporary programme. In these circumstances, a healthcare worker must inform his or her line manager of the situation. The latter can, in turn, inform the hotel and the worker must vacate the hotel at the earliest convenience. The HSE has also confirmed that healthcare workers who test positive for the virus and who are accommodated under the programme will be transferred to the Citywest self-isolation facility by medical doctors.

As the Taoiseach can see, the claims made by LMFM are totally at odds with the HSE's stated position. in order to get to the bottom of this, we need a detailed statement from the HSE confirming that the claims made by LMFM are either incorrect or that there has been a breakdown in systems in this instance. This has the potential to be a very serious situation and clarification is needed as a matter of urgency. We cannot have a situation where Covid-positive healthcare workers are sharing accommodation with other non-Covid-positive healthcare workers.

I have also been contacted by a healthcare worker who contracted the virus at work. She lives at home with her elderly parents, who are deemed to be in the "vulnerable" category. In this case, the healthcare worker was not offered the opportunity to self-isolate at the Citywest facility. This is also at odds with the statement from the HSE. I ask for the Taoiseach's assistance in this matter in order to get clarification from the HSE.

I thank the Deputy for raising this very serious matter. I appreciate fully the concerns expressed following the reports in local media. I will ask the Department of Health and the HSE for full clarity on this, although I believe they have been in touch with the Deputy. I will ask them to contact the Deputy directly about some of the specifics in these matters. The HSE has stated that under no circumstances are Covid-positive healthcare workers accommodated in hotels by the authorities. The HSE is very categorical in its statement that it does not do it. That, however, runs contrary to the story in the local media.

Up to 3,000 staff per week are availing of the HSE temporary accommodation programme. This programme is available to healthcare workers who are currently living in shared accommodation with other health service workers; work in a Covid-positive or potentially Covid-positive environment and may have a person in the high-risk categories vulnerable to infection in a home setting and therefore cannot return to the home setting between shifts; live with a person who has been instructed to self-quarantine; or are required to work longer than usual shifts or overtime and would therefore not have time to return home between shifts. Staff who are Covid-positive or who need to self-isolate cannot and will not be accommodated under this service.

Where a staff member tests positive, he or she would be referred to the Citywest self-isolation facility by a medical doctor. The Deputy indicates that in a certain case the person was not referred. If we can have the details, I will certainly follow through on that. There is a need to reconcile the story as published by local media and the very categorical position that has been articulated by the HSE. I will follow that up.

Late last night, the HSE contacted the local radio station and confirmed that the incident it had raised was true. This is a very serious breach. We have healthcare workers who are putting their lives in danger for other people. They are being put in hotels with others who are positive for coronavirus. I am a wee bit disappointed. Yesterday, I gave the Taoiseach's assistant the full details of the question I would ask today and I thought at the very least the Department would contact the HSE for an update. I am very disappointed as this must not have been done. The HSE came back to the radio station to confirm the story.

This is very serious so what can be done? I ask the Taoiseach to contact the HSE straight away and ask why its representatives did not have the decency to come back to the leader of the country on this matter, especially if his Department contacted the HSE for an update. I am astounded. A healthcare worker contacted me during the week to say she is living with her vulnerable parents and she cannot afford to go out and self-isolate. People positive for coronavirus are mixing with those who do not have the virus. It is a complete and utter mess.

Three or four weeks ago, I asked the Taoiseach about a case in County Louth and I was promised by the Taoiseach that his Department would contact me in three or four days. It did not happen. That was before Christmas. This is very serious. Healthcare workers are being put in with others who have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Please, Deputy, the time is up.

It is very serious. The Deputy has said the HSE confirmed-----

Yes. It was confirmed to the radio station.

We have to get this reconciled, in terms of getting the truth. The HSE has said it was unaware at that time of any positive case going into the hotel and it did not arrange for healthcare staff with a positive diagnosis to be accommodated in that hotel.

The station was contacted.

We need this matter resolved and reconciled. The Minister for Health is here and I undertake to have this investigated. The Deputy will be contacted about that investigation and be notified of the outcome. As I stated, this needs to be reconciled, in terms of what the actual situation is and what happened. Up to minutes ago, the HSE was saying it was unaware that two positive cases were going into that hotel.