Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I would be happy to do that. A number of us raised the waiving of nurses' registration fees with the Taoiseach in the Dáil this morning and he categorically ruled it out. It would be welcome if the Minister tried to change the Taoiseach's mind on that.

There are two concerns about the decision to approve and roll out the vaccine in the UK. According to Kingston Mills, this has not been tested on children, which is a problem. It has not been established that the Pfizer vaccine is effective in cutting infectiousness. It may prevent somebody from getting the virus but it does not mean that the person is not a carrier. To what extent are those issues being pursued at a European level? Does the Minister expect that it is likely that approval will be given with caveats about key elements, as has happened in the UK? I understand that there is a requirement for states to take on liability in the event that anything goes wrong. That is potentially a blank cheque. We do not know what is involved. In normal circumstances, the fact that pharmaceutical companies have to carry the liability for their products is a break that is put on developing new vaccines or medications, which can be good because companies have to be cautious in developing new products to ensure that they do not do harm. Is the Minister concerned that because of the fact that the significant responsibility of taking on liability by a pharmaceutical company is being waived, there could be issues with a rush to roll out the vaccine?