Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In Tallaght Hospital.

Palliative care was mentioned. All of us have been in hospitals when people were informed that their loved one was going to die. I was in a hospital one night when someone was dying on a trolley. A man nearby was being transferred to a bed and there was much effing and blinding, so to speak, while this woman was dying with her family around her. There is a need for those family palliative care systems within hospitals.

We are bringing in the people involved in the vaccine in two weeks time. The main concern is the hesitancy on the part of many people with regard to vaccines, particularly across Europe. In the past decade the numbers have gone down again. As one of the members said earlier, there is a need for a campaign around the efficacy of the drugs we are getting but also their safety and the speed with which they are being made available. That conversation needs to be had with this committee at some stage but also with the wider population. I am aware from talking to people that many want to get the vaccine but many others would prefer to get one from the next batch rather than the first. We need to convince them in that regard. Other vaccines were introduced in recent years and there was not the desired take-up of them.

I thank the Minister for coming before the committee. He might get back to me regarding some of the questions. On the Estimates, we do need support as a committee because even as late as yesterday we were getting notes from his Department about significant changes in terms of the allocation of specific moneys. That might be taken on board by the Minister and his officials. Does the Minister want to make any concluding remarks? We are over time now.