Bríd Smith Demands Clarity on End of Mass PCR Testing

Bríd Smith questioned the government's move to abandon PCR testing for most of the population and pressed for details on how the virus will be tracked going forward. She highlighted that symptomatic people who need a test will face a €90 private fee and said medically vulnerable groups are anxious about the rollback of masking, testing and tracing.

PCR testing changes

The Taoiseach announced the abandonment of PCR testing for the majority of the population. The speaker emphasised reports that symptomatic people who require a test will have to pay 90 euro privately and suggested the vast majority will be affected.

Concerns of vulnerable groups

Medically vulnerable groups have written to the department expressing worry about the abandonment of measures such as masking, testing and tracing. The speaker raised these concerns directly in the debate, stressing the potential impact on those groups.

Questions about surveillance systems

The speaker asked what new systems will be put in place to track the virus as fewer people are tested, noting media reports that new systems will be introduced but that no clear explanation has been provided. She asked whether the state intended to abandon tracking the virus entirely.

Public health response and funding

The Chief Medical Officer has said the country must move to a different phase of the pandemic and that the wholesale testing and tracing regime will no longer apply during the transitional period. The CMO and officials propose embedding permanent surveillance and responses into the existing public health system, including expansion of the GP-based Sentinel system. The speaker noted an agreement last year to double public health funding, enabling consultant appointments and strengthened public health capacity, with recruitment reported to be going well.

Ongoing demands for clarity

The speaker pressed for clear, detailed plans on how surveillance and monitoring will be maintained as testing becomes less widespread, insisting that explanations are needed for the reported new systems and their operation.