Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will start by offering my condolences to Senator Mullen on the recent passing of his father. I wish to discuss the vaccine roll-out programme. While it has been positive in many instances, I have been contacted by two families, one of whom includes a lady in her mid-80s who is bedridden but has still not received her vaccination. In the case of the other family, the mother is her early 60s, is auto-immune suppressed and has chronic respiratory disease. Her consultant has contacted the vaccine roll-out programme, which I have contacted several times as well, but this lady has still not been called for her vaccination. Although these may be small issues, they are not so small for the families and patients concerned. Could the Leader arrange for the Minister for Health to come to the House for a debate on the matter? While the roll-out programme is very positive, there are outstanding issues that need to be raised. When there is no resolution of these issues over many weeks, it is time for that debate.

The situation in maternity hospitals has been raised by many Members. Yesterday was International Day of the Midwife. I know that maternity services in University Hospital Limerick had a celebratory day with their patients and the midwives. The theme of yesterday was "follow the data, invest in midwives". I pay tribute to the many midwives and people on the front line who have contributed so positively during the pandemic.