We start on a very positive note in the statement the Minister made today. Every week we come here and there are positive soundings from the Minister's statements. That is very good and there is no doubt but that the virus in Ireland is in retreat. The settings that have received it have been liberated by the vaccine because that is the way to get out of this situation. Over the coming weeks and months a number of scenarios could play out in the roll-out of the vaccine relating to the recommendations by NIAC on the…

I commend Deputy Ward and Sinn Féin on this motion on mental health. I am sure everyone agrees that we are living in unprecedented times, which call for unprecedented measures, especially around our mental and physical well-being. The past 14 months has shown us that we are all vulnerable and we can be touched by any mental health issue. It has shown the desperate situations in which people have found themselves in experiencing isolation, fear, loneliness and despair, but there is also hope which is the main thing …

I am sharing time with Deputy Barry, with three minutes for me and three minutes for him.

I wish to touch on the positive aspects of the Minister's statement because we are all anxious for the programme to succeed and that is the imperative. The positive aspect to the vaccination programmes in nursing homes in particular is very important as there is a sense that we are getting on top of this. My main question to the Minister relates to the recruitment of vaccinators. There are credible reports of doctors being asked for their junior certificate results to prove that they meet the criteria. To say the l…

I am sharing time with Deputy Boyd Barrett. I do not doubt the bona fides of the Minister of State on this issue. In the time I have known her, I have found her to be a genuine person. However, the RTÉ programme last week holds up very serious questions in regard to trust and confidentiality for the children and families trying to access special needs provision. At this point in time, there are families taking the State to the High Court in regard to the Disability Act. That legislation is breached every second of …

I wish to start with the positive news in the Minister's statement regarding nursing homes. It lifts the country's heart to see the effect of the vaccine roll out in nursing homes. Covid-19 has had a terrible effect on people in the nursing home setting so the progress there is very welcome. We are at a crucial stage in terms of the next quarter and the vaccine roll out. I wish to ask about what is happening in Europe, particularly in terms of the vaccine policy framework. A number of countries including France, Ge…

I refer to the roll-out of the vaccine in the European Union and the European vaccine policy programme. At the moment it is playing out like a bad soap opera for countries that want to get access to the vaccine. Other European countries, namely, Hungary, France and Germany, have looked beyond the framework to acquire vaccines from China or Russia. Has the Government explored going outside the framework and looked at the Sputnik vaccine in particular? Has the Government corresponded with the Russian ambassador, who …

I am sharing time with Deputy Barry. I will take three minutes and he will take two. Today marks one year since the WHO declared the coronavirus a global pandemic. Since then, 6,500 people on this island and 2.5 million across the world have lost their lives. The pandemic has caused devastation for many people on the planet, as well as economic turmoil. We have seen the best of humanity and solidarity. We have witnessed the wonders of science and research and development and a vaccine that will protect the whole of…

The Minister recently stated he wants to see access to third level education for all. That is very admirable, but is it achievable? Covid has shone a light on many areas over the past 15 months. In particular, it has shone a light on a leaving certificate that is outdated and antiquated. The intense competition for third level places shows up the leaving certificate for what it is. It defeats the purpose of education. Education is supposed to be enjoyed. It is about educating ourselves. The leaving certificate has …

I am sharing time with Deputy Barry. We all acknowledge that the roll-out of the vaccine is logistically extremely challenging so we wish those who are on the front line of the vaccine roll-out well because this will get us out of the pandemic. I raise an issue with regard to the revision of the vaccine schedule which was conducted last week. That was very welcome to those who are immunocompromised, particularly in terms of underlying conditions. Many people had great hope that the revision of the schedule would pu…

There are two minutes for Deputy Mick Barry.

I thank the Minister of State for his statement. This is probably the first time I have formally engaged with him so I wish him well during his tenure in office. We have different views on alcohol and drug policies, but as the conclusion of the Minister of State's statement says, it is about harm reduction. That is what it is about, because the previous policies of other Governments have been a failure. Obviously, the pandemic has imposed major pressures on alcohol and drug intervention supports. People cannot go t…

It is questions and answers. I have two specific questions. One relates to correspondence I have received in the last couple of weeks about the frustration of psychiatric nurses concerning the roll-out of the vaccine, particularly for those in acute mental health services. There is no timeline and there is complete frustration for psychiatric nurses in that setting. Will the Minister of State give reassurance or a timeline for psychiatric nurses in the mental health services getting the vaccine? The second question…

It will be questions and answers. I welcome last night's news about the funding for and the establishment of the medical cannabis access programme. I presume over the next few months we will have a discussion about the roll-out of that programme. Over the weekend, a number of the Minister's Cabinet colleagues were somewhat contrite about the public health advice given in late November. Does the Minister bear responsibility for the circumstances in which the State is now?

Today, the Department of Health announced the commencement of and the funding for the medical cannabis access programme under the HSE service plan. It is very welcome, after five years of campaigning by parents and others. It has been a very long road and finally, this year, people will get medical cannabis products under prescription. The confinement to three conditions is very restrictive. Many people who suffer from chronic pain seek alternatives in medical cannabis. Will they be included? What is the funding mo…

I wish the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and all the staff who operate the building a happy new year. They have been stalwart last year and this year, and I wish them well. A month ago, Ireland had one of the lowest rates of Covid-19 in Europe. That has utterly changed. Ireland now has one of the highest infection rates in the world. As the Chief Medical Officer has said, the pandemic is out of control. I argue that this stems from decisions made in early December to open the economy and lift restrictions. That has come ba…

Last November, I questioned the Minister on the cost of private hospitals to the State. He was quite honest about it. He said things would be done differently if we all had hindsight. Last year, the State paid €115 million per month for private hospitals, the equivalent of one third of €1 billion. That is to Larry Goodman and Denis O'Brien. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, stated today that all private hospitals should be nationalised immediately because of the emergency. There is a new agreement w…

Those who saw the images a number of days ago from Britain of Margaret Keenan being the first person in the world to get the vaccine for Covid-19 would have been heartened because the past nine months have been very dark for everybody on the planet. My question is in regard to the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine, including the logistics, the prioritisation of vulnerable groups, the role GPs will play and the tracking system that will be in place for this logistical and difficult situation.

We all understand that roll-out will be a logistically challenging undertaking for our health service. A tracking system of vaccinations will be important given there will be two vaccines. Solidarity-People Before Profit spoke to a public health doctor recently who told us that they will find this extremely challenging as they are operating at less than one-third of the resources and staff that will be required to roll-out the vaccine. There are enormous challenges in regard to roll-out. There is another challenge,…

To return to the logistics, what provision has been or will be put in place? Various vehicles have been identified for roll-out of the vaccine, including GP surgeries, primary care centres and so on. Britain is providing portable hubs to which people can go to get the vaccine. Is consideration being given to putting in place out-of-hours services in order that GP services are not overrun because that would not be good for anybody? Is consideration being given to portable roll-out of the vaccine over the next three …