Professor Brian MacCraith:

I will address some aspects of the answers to the questions posed by the Deputy, such as that regarding the statement by Mr. Paul Reid yesterday regarding the IT infrastructure, and the decision made to go with a specific vendor, which in this case is IBM and Salesforce working together. A detailed specification for the functionality of the system is given in the implementation plan, as well as how people will engage with it and what the patient journey will consist of.

Turning to the specific questions from the Deputy, we are happy to provide more specific detail to him. The lead on this project is the chief information officer of the HSE, Fran Thompson. We can get the detailed answers which the Deputy seeks through him, and we are happy to provide them. The important thing is that the decision has been made and the work has commenced with IBM and Salesforce. It is also important that a contingency plan is in place, whatever happens on day one of this vaccination roll-out. If all aspects of the functionality are not ready for that date, for example, there is a contingency aspect contained in the implementation plan.