Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for his time. I will not go over comments made or questions asked by other contributors but I will touch on something the Minister mentioned around the sexual violence investigation. That is absolutely welcome. While highlighting and acknowledging sexual violence as a weapon of war is a positive first step, we need to see action and accountability. That will be key for those affected by that.

I move on to a recent presentation given to the committee about the disproportionate effect of Covid-19 on women, particularly displaced women, in terms of access to education and medical care and, more important, about how vital women's voices will be when it comes to rebuilding societies and economies after Covid and as we go through the emergence from Covid. It is vital that women's voices are heard at the planning stage and when it comes to implementing the measures for rebuilding economies. As activists and societal leaders, we must ensure Covid is not used as a mechanism to reverse any ground gained by women in relation to representation at any level. What action and position do we take in support of these vital measures?

I will touch on the TRIPS waiver. The Minister used the word "simplistic" when we spoke about it a few moments ago. There are simplistic numbers around this. Our current annual production capacity is 3.5 billion doses but the annual need is 11 billion doses to vaccinate 70% of the global population. We are at a point where neither objecting nor the wait-and-see approach are tenable positions. The Minister mentioned quality being an issue here. Assuring quality around vaccines, while essential, is not an issue that vaccines currently on the market have been immune from. Two vaccines manufacturers have had quality issues at their manufacturing plants. They needed to close to address these issues, and that was a welcome step. When one recognises there is a problem, one takes steps to address it. That does not really hold up to scrutiny, particularly when one looks at the Covid-19 pre-qualification programme run by the WHO.

Another point raised by the Minister related to a partnership approach. A partnership approach has been abandoned by other countries such as Canada, South Korea, Pakistan, and he mentioned India. Bangladesh had previously tried a partnership approach. What evident have we available now that indicates this will be an option when it has not been an option in the past and when steps to move down that road have been abandoned?

Finally, does the Minister support the TRIPS waiver, personally, because at this point something has to give? Globally, humanity and health is on the line, otherwise we will be stuck in a cycle of illnesses, of deaths, and of lockdowns unless this issue is dealt with and dealt with effectively.