Public Health Emergency Should Not Be Exploited By FG/FF To Return To Power

Health Record of the two big parties does not inspire confidence when WHO says public trust is key to tackling crisis

Daily information and briefing hotline on Covid 19 crisis must be established as a matter of urgency

In a statement, Richard Boyd Barrett TD of People Before Profit said FG and FF should not exploit the Covid 19 public health crisis as an excuse to return to power.

Deputy Boyd Barrett said the public health crisis from Covid 19 was “too serious to be used as a prop in FG and FF’s political game-playing and strategy to return to power”.

Deputy Boyd Barrett pointed out that the WHO had stated that ensuring public trust was key to mobilising society to undertake all of the measures necessary to respond to the Covid 19 crisis and protect the health of the public.

Deputy Boyd Barrett said that “the record of FG and FF over recent years, in terms of the management of the public health service, the Cervical Check scandal, the National Children’s Hospital and more was not one that would inspire public confidence or trust.”

Deputy Boyd Barrett said: “The issue of government formation and the critical importance of all parties working together to address the Covid 19 crisis were separate issues and should be kept so.”

Deputy Boyd Barrett said that, so far, he was not happy with the flow of information and responses to questions he had put to the government over recent weeks in relation to its plans and measures to respond to the Covid 19 crisis.

Deputy Boyd Barrett pointed out that he had submitted a series of questions on February 25 in relation to the crisis which still had not been answered satisfactorily.

He said he had resubmitted these questions to the Taoiseach at the party leaders briefing on the Covid 19 crisis on Tuesday this week and called for an information and a briefing hotline between party leaders and public representatives, the government and the public health authorities to be immediately established.

He said he was disappointed that the answers and information he had requested were still not forthcoming.