I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and colleagues for the opportunity to update the House on the Government's response to the roll-out of the national vaccination programme and to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, the Government announced a plan that we all hope will be a permanent path out of this pandemic. Because people to date have backed the level 5 measures advised by the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET, the public health doctors, Ireland now has one of the lowest Covid rates in Europe. W…

They are outside.

They were put outside before I started. They were there before the session started. To date, nearly one in six adults in Ireland have been vaccinated and we are prioritising the most vulnerable. Covid-19 infections in long-term care facilities, among healthcare workers and those aged 85 and over have fallen dramatically. We could not begin to fathom being in this position 12 months ago. Vaccination has prioritised those with underlying medical conditions that place them at very high or high risk of negative medical…

I acknowledge the support of Deputies. We all have a job to do and there is a very important role for Deputy Cullinane and others in holding the Government to account. I wanted to make the point in my opening statement that, across the board, there has been a largely supportive response and important work done by Deputies, both in opposition and in government. I wanted to acknowledge that. I know the test and trace issue is not the question but the Deputy raised the matter. He has raised it most weeks that we have …

It is important for people to understand that Ireland compares favourably on testing and tracing. I will be delighted to sit down with the Deputy and listen to any specific concerns he has. The question of forecasts is a debate or discussion we have every week. For April, May and June, according to expected deliveries, we expect in excess of an average of 1 million vaccines to arrive per month, ramping up from April through to June. As I have said before, I am reluctant to give specific forecasts on figures that we…

It is the same answer. Giving specific amounts that we know are going to change has caused much anxiety. We are expecting approximately 1 million doses in April. The expected supply is slightly less than 1 million doses to be received in April.

With respect, I did answer the question. The answer is that slightly less than 1 million vaccines are expected in the country. The contribution the Deputy has just made, like the contribution one of his colleagues made on television last night, is exactly why giving forecast figures that we know are going to change causes anxiety. Last night on television, the Deputy's party colleague was outraged and gave all sorts of negative commentary about the national vaccine programme. This was because - as we could have gue…

A memorandum was brought to Cabinet. There was a discussion on the proposed approach at the Covid-19 Cabinet meeting the night before. There was a discussion the previous week at official level as well. However, the memorandum was brought on Tuesday and it was discussed in detail by the Cabinet. That was when members of Cabinet saw the memorandum and when it was discussed.

On the question with regard to the vaccination centre, while I take the Deputy's point on the geography, it was located there to try to facilitate the population of County Limerick. If there is a requirement for another centre, the Deputy may rest assured that we will put one in place. The HSE can keep that under review. This does not have to be the final set of where the vaccination centres go. It is also worth pointing out that the vast majority of general practitioners will continue to vaccinate in their clinics…

I thank the Deputy who has asked some very important questions and has made some accusations which obviously are his right to make-----

-----but he has only left me with ten seconds to respond. I can respond to all of these and in fact I have to hand the most detailed figures I can give him. I brought them in because I thought he might be looking for the figures but he has not, however, left me with any time to give them to him.

With respect, Deputy, I brought the figures in to give to the Deputy but he has not left me any time to give them to him. I will revert to him on that.

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the Deputy for his question and statement. The answer is that NIAC looked very carefully at all of the evidence to date, including new information which it did not have when it came up with the original provisional prioritisation. As the Deputy will be aware, for example, NIAC have shown that if one compares the risk of death from Covid-19 for someone between the ages of 20 to 35 and between 60 to 64, the 60 to 64-year-old is more than 70 times more likely to die from Covid-19.…

Can I ask the Leas-Cheann Comhairle is the time that has been mentioned for the Deputy who has just spoken?

That is no problem. What happened at the Beacon Hospital was completely unacceptable. These vaccines do not belong to the Beacon Hospital or, indeed, to any hospital; they belong to the Irish people. Very clear guidelines and protocols were and are in place and had been communicated and understood. I have written to the Beacon Hospital on the issue and asked for a full review, including any responses from the board. I have appointed a senior official from the HSE to go in immediately and assess the situation. As th…

I am more than happy to speak to the Deputy privately on the issue. The National Ambulance Service, NAS, has started providing this service. It is moving regionally through the country. In many cases, general practitioners, GPs, have identified their patients who cannot make it in to the GP clinics and the NAS is moving as quickly as possible to get to the homes of those people, support them and give them the vaccinations.

I thank the Deputy for his questions. On children and vaccinations, there is ongoing work and clinical trials are being carried out. As Professor Butler said yesterday, the vaccines are not currently authorised for children but the clinical trials go on. If the EMA looks at the data and authorises the vaccines for children, NIAC and other agencies will consider whether it can be implemented here. Pharmacists are going to play a key role in the vaccination programme, particularly in the coming months as we scale up.…

How long have I got to reply? I have only 14 seconds. Perhaps I should revert to the Deputy in writing. He asked important questions and I cannot address them in 14 seconds.

How long do I have?

I thank the Deputy for his questions. The green certificate is an interesting idea and, as the Deputy will be aware, it is being formally progressed by the European Union. It might provide a pathway for travel between EU member states that do not have the various biosecurity measures in place for EU citizens who have a green certificate to verify their vaccination or, potentially, to verify a recent infection with Covid. We will be looking at that with interest. As the Deputy has raised previously, there are some p…