Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I do not have the specific unit cost of each of the deals. It is not as high as one might have thought or as might conventionally be the case. One has to be cúramach about what one says publicly about it, but there is a genuine effort being made here. That said, the difference here has been the advanced purchase process. In the US, the government there has been doing it. There has been a big debate there in the context of the presidential election etc. and that is why the companies came out strongly and said they will not have a vaccine before the election. They wanted to separate themselves out from any potential perception of politics playing a role in it. The advance purchase enabled it to go for it.

These processes in terms of the research, development and production of a vaccine are, in historical context, taking place at breakneck speed. They are really moving at pace. The US has the FDA approval and authorisation process and in the EU it will be the EVI process.

I can get a breakdown for the Deputy in terms of the contribution we are making. I want to be specific for the record. We are reasonably satisfied in terms of the contribution and the potential output in terms of the supply of a vaccine. It is hopefully an area where Europe can leave its mark in terms of co-ordination across member states and that it is not every member state for itself when the rush comes if and when a vaccine is produced. I have asked that considerable work continues on this so that when vaccines arrive we are in a position to distribute to the most needy and most vulnerable first and to those who will benefit best from an effective and safe vaccine. That will involve an entirely different debate here in terms of public reaction and perspectives.

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