Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy has raised a few important issues. With regard to the flu vaccine, there is very high demand for it at present, which is encouraging. People who did not seek the flu vaccination in previous years are seeking to be vaccinated this year and this is a real positive. Supply is short, not just in Ireland but internationally. There is more on the way. No matter what happens, we will vaccinate many more people against the flu this winter than we have in any winter in the past. Important progress is being made. We do need to prioritise and it is those who need it most who are being prioritised, including healthcare workers, older people and those with chronic conditions, and children between the ages of two and 12 years using the nasal spray to vaccinate them.

With regard to suicide and deliberate self-harm, we recently had a discussion on the mental health impact of the pandemic and the lockdown at the Cabinet committee on social policy. The evidence and research we have so far does not show any increase in suicide or in deliberate self-harm during the pandemic period. Please God this will continue to be the case and will continue to be true. It is certainly the case that the pandemic and the lockdown are having an impact on people's mental health and we are seeing an increase in calls and inquiries to mental health services and resources are being increased precisely because of this.

With regard to waiting lists, I totally appreciate what the Deputy has said, and far too many people are waiting for too long in Ireland for the operation or appointment they need. The health budget for 2021 is €4 billion higher than this year, which is an extraordinary increase in the budget. It is ten times the type of increase we might have seen in the past. Of this, €2 billion is for Covid and €2 billion is for non-Covid. I hope this will allow us to make real inroads into the waiting lists in 2021.

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