.1 jg}; Seanad la' Liircann Teach Laighean Leinster House Sraid Chill Dara Kildare Street Baile Atha liath 2. Eire Dublin 2. Ireland T: 01 618 3000 Our Ref: $00-09 By email to? 30 July 2020 Dear Mr Foxe. I refer to your request for information 011 the 2020 Seanad General Election. in particular the move of the election count in Dublin Castle. Please see the response below to the questions asked. A record/spreadsheet of all costs incurred in moving Seanad panels election count from Leinster House to Dublin Castle. This record to be broken down according to cost category. The additional costs arising in the move to Dublin Castle are estimated in the table below. They are estimated by taking the difference between the original estimated Leinster House cost for the election cormt and the actual cost of the cormt in Dublin Castle. Leinster Expenditure type Actual Additional Cost (Feb Dublin Castle Cost 2020) Audio visual services ?465 ?4.871 ?4.405 Electrical services ?0 ?942 ?942 Equipment (plastic sheeting) ?0 ?6.4l3 ?6.4l3 Cleaning Services ?0 ?357 ?357 ?0 ?5.000 ?5.000 Parking ?0 ?390 ?390 Catering ?4.800 10.778 ?5.978 Taxis ?500 ?58 -?442 Total ?5,765 ?28,809 ?23,043 Teach Laighean Sráid Chill Dara Baile Átha Cliath 2, Éire T: 01 618 3000 Leinster House Kildare Street Dublin 2, Ireland www.oireachtas.ie A record of how many extra staff were required for the count. There were 6 additional staff required to facilitate health and safety requirements due to the Covid 19 pandemic. They are listed below. Covid Safety Officers Alternate Legal Adviser Access Covid Posts 2 1 3 However, these additional staff were offset by a reduction in the original count team by 6 to facilitate physical distancing and to create a reserve of experienced count staff to be called on if necessary. Copies of any invoices/receipts related to the purchase of extra equipment or furniture to facilitate the counting. The invoice for sheeting to facilitate physical distancing at the tables at the count is attached. (Myra glass.pdf) A copy of any guideline/instruction/policy for protection of staff, candidates and their agents during the counting. The count centre was inspected in advance by a health and safety consultant and his recommendations were implemented. Covid Safety Officers were appointed. The document outlining the duties of these officers is attached (Covid safety officers.pdf) Covid 19 etiquette arrangements were announced at the start of each of the five panels and every morning if we were resuming on a panel (extract from the Seanad Returning Officer speaking note is attached Speaking note.pdf). Staff were also separately briefed orally by the SRO before the count centre opened every morning. All appropriate measures – notices, sanitiser, gloves for staff who wanted them, Perspex separation screens, regular cleaning, physical distancing in the count centre and associated areas (lobby, toilets, staff dining area). Teach Laighean Sráid Chill Dara Baile Átha Cliath 2, Éire T: 01 618 3000 Leinster House Kildare Street Dublin 2, Ireland www.oireachtas.ie Access to the count centre was limited to candidates and their agents (they are entitled to attend by law). Candidates were encouraged to have only a candidate or agent present but not both. Staff were offered accommodation nearby (€100 per person per night) to minimise contact with others for the duration of the count (but also to provide for staff without cars who might have had difficulty getting taxis). I hope this answers your questions. Please let me know if you have any other queries. Yours sincerely, Carmel Considine Seanad Office Duties of Covid-19 Safety Officers Three Covid-19 Safety Officers will be in place. They are assigned to a). the count centre, b). the entrance area , and c). floating The duties of the safety officers are – 1. As people arrive – To ask every person (including candidates and their agents) if they have any fever, cough, shortness of breath, aches and pains, or new onset fatigue, or if they are identified as COVID contacts. Any person who answers positively to any of these questions should be asked to leave the count centre. To inform each person as they arrive at the count centre that they MUST wash their hands immediately after entry; Immediately after hand washing, MUST apply disinfectant hand gel; MUST wash their hands before eating or taking tea / coffee MUST always seek to maintain a minimum distance of 2 metres from other persons (as recommended by the HSE) MUST remain seated while in the count centre MUST leave the count centre if they leave their seats. MUST not breach physical distancing requirements while watching TV monitors in the lobby area or in the count centre. 2. In the count centre To ensure that staff, candidates and agents maintain physical distancing. To monitor candidates and agents to ensure that they do not move chairs. To monitor candidates and agents to ensure that they do not attempt to look over the barrier. 3. At toilets To ensure that staff, candidates and agents maintain physical distancing, especially if queues form. 4. At break times – To monitor all people taking food or beverages to ensure that physical distancing is maintained. 5. To ensure that hand sanitising gel is available at the entrance The ‘floating’ safety officer is to provide cover for the other safety officers at break times and to monitor the toilet areas and tea/coffee areas to ensure that people are maintaining physical distancing. Where any breach of physical distancing, hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, inappropriate movement, or repositioning of chairs is observed, the safety officers should simply approach the person concerned and ask (as discretely as physical distancing permits) that the failure be corrected / discontinued. In the event of repeated failures to observe safety requirements, advise the person that one of the two Gardai (who will be present 24/7) will be called. If the failure persists or recurs, seek Garda assistance in securing compliance with the precautions. If following initial Garda intervention, the failure recurs, seek a direction from the Seanad Returning Officer or the Deputy Seanad Returning Officer. If the SRO or DSRO directs that the person leaves the centre, bring this to the attention of the Gardaí on duty. Invoice to: Houses of the Oireachtas Service Facilities Management Unit Seanad Count Leinster House Kildare Street Dublin 2 SUPPLY 8: FIT Invoice No: Graeme 7 larder-Date . Required-i Myra Glass Co. Ltd. TAM. House Ballymount Trading Estate Lower Ballymount Road. Dublin, D12Y681 Tet: 01 4659894/4659895 Fax: 01 4566815 email: sales@myragiass.ie Web: VAT Reg. NOZIE 9571084 Emergency After Hours Number 086 858 2705 (Commercial Only) No queries can be entertained after 10 days. YourGrderNo Page 1 of 1 028009 30 Mar 2020 F029702 Description 24 Mar 2020 Ree? 27 Mar 2020 000097918 House of Oireachtas .. . . i .- UnIt Total fence . Qty WidttheIght Area Area. . Houos behalf of the consignee; safety section of 8818262 and its amendments a copy of which Is available for inspection. 5mm Clear PET Plastic Sheeting 30 2050mm 1525mm 3.13 93.90 Site Location: Total Lines 1 Net Value 5550-00 House of Oireachtas Print Works Qty 30 Dublin Castle - 2 00 7 7 Charles - 016458823 Tota' Area 93-90 vat 13'5 62' 5 8879787063 016458823 Total Weight 75030 kg Gross Value 6,412.75 (i accept the above items in good order and condition org (B Conditions of Sale: The goods supplied shall remain the property of the supplier until all debts owing to the supplier or to be created in future have been paid in full. O.E. OPENING REMARKS Dia dhaoibh agus fáilte romhaibh go dtí comhaireamh na vótaí ag olltoghcháin don Seanad, dhá mhíle is a fiche. Cuirfidh mé tús leis na h-imeachtaí go gairid. Welcome to the counting of votes at the Seanad general election 2020. I will begin proceedings shortly. At this point, I would like to draw your attention to the arrangements in place to minimise the risks arising from the Covid 19 pandemic. Hand-washing and hand-sanitising facilities are readily available and must be used on entry to the count centre and regularly after that. etiquette must be observed. Respiratory and coughing You must maintain physical distance from others and respect the seating and other arrangements in place to achieve this. Candidates and their agents should remain seated and should only move around the count centre when entering or leaving. Physical distancing requirements must be observed in the lobby area. There are dedicated safety officers in place, both inside and outside the count room, to assist you in observing safety requirements. You should comply with their advice at all times. Access to the count centre, including the circulation areas outside this room, is strictly limited to candidates and one agent in each case. In the event that a nominated agent is not present in the centre, he or she may not be replaced by another person. I would like to thank you in advance for your cooperation with all of these arrangements. The detailed results of every count will be posted to the Oireachtas website and to four social media sites - Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linked-in. [BROADCASTING]