We might be safer on banana skins.

We will allow the Taoiseach reply to the questions first.

There are a number of other questions and we are out of time. I do not mean to interrupt the Taoiseach but we will have to address the questions.

Is it? I beg your pardon.

I am moving-----

I am moving on.

I wish to advise the House of the following matters in respect of which notice has been given under Standing Order 37 and the name of the Member in each case: (1) Deputy John Lahart - to discuss a new qualification threshold for special needs assistants, recognising their essential role; (2) Deputies Kieran O'Donnell and Joe Carey - to discuss the findings and recommendations of NewERA's medium-term financial review of the Shannon Group; (3) Deputy Paul Murphy - to discuss the planned closure of the long-Covid clin…

Deputy, we are over time.

We are eating into Deputy Howlin's time. Can we stop the clock?

I welcome the opportunity to contribute. I welcome what was set out in the Taoiseach's statement but what was absent is notable. I echo what Deputy Howlin said. The time we are being given is not sufficient to discuss the range of topics covered in the nine-page statement. There are notable absences as it did not deal with Ethiopia or Tigray, although I understand the Minister of State will come back on this. This has been an ongoing conflict for more than a year with 1.7 million people displaced in Tigray alone an…

That was within the scope of the debate. The rules state that, on Second Stage, Deputies may refer not only to what is in the Bill but what could relevantly be put into it. I suppose the Deputy’s contribution came under that stipulation.

This question will be taken by Deputy Griffin.

The issue has be related to the question.

I will allow Deputy O'Rourke in but if I keep allowing Members in on a discretionary basis, those who are waiting for their questions will not get in. I ask the Deputies to use this facility sparingly. I know that the Deputy has not-----

Members and all others in attendance are again asked to exercise personal responsibility in respect of protecting themselves and others from the risk of Covid-19. Members are strongly advised to practise good hygiene and observe a checkerboard seating arrangement. They should also maintain an appropriate level of social distancing during and after the sitting. Masks, preferably of a medical grade, should be worn at all times during the sitting, except when speaking. I ask for Members' full co-operation in this rega…

I understand Deputy Bacik is taking this question. I have no difficulty with that but I remind Deputies there has to be notification of the change in advance.

I will allow Deputy Bacik to speak before the Minister of State comes in.

I thank the Deputy. He will get a chance to come back in.

Before Deputy Tóibín comes back in, I ask him to avoid mentioning people's names if he could. That is the practice in the Dáil.

As the Tánaiste knows, there is a huge push for the TRIPS waiver. It has come from so many organisations. More than 100 countries have asked for this, according to Médecins Sans Frontières. The nursing unions were the latest, with about 30 of them throughout the world, including the Vaccine Alliance and so on. In our country, 400 leading scientists have expressed a similar view. No progress has been made on this. I welcome the figures the Tánaiste gave on vaccines. A total of 1.3 million vaccine doses will be given…