Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On Thursday's business, I wish to record again my objection to the very truncated debate that will take place on Covid-19. My colleague has already raised a very significant issue regarding indemnity. The fact is that the total allocation per Deputy is a sum of 54 seconds to discuss probably the most significant vaccination programme ever to take place in this State. We will now have a void in terms of the House sitting before the vaccination programme commences to allow anyone to throw out any information they may want to throw out without any vehicle to ask questions of the Government. The vaccination programme that has been published was published after the closing time for the submission of parliamentary questions. The Chief Whip has said the Minister will not answer questions in the House on Thursday night. The reality is that Dr. Ronan Glynn has come out publicly and stated that there are legitimate questions, yet Members of this House have no mechanism to ask any question of the Minister or hold the Government to account on any issue relating to this vaccination programme in advance of it commencing at the end of this year or early next year.

I again plead with the Taoiseach to facilitate a full and open debate on this issue here on Friday and for the Minister for Health to take legitimate questions from Members of this House on the issue of indemnity to the seven companies and perhaps more. The fact that we do not have a unique identifier will have huge implications for the implementation of that indemnity. There is also the fact that we do not have a no-fault compensation scheme and many other issues on which we all need clarity before this House rises for the Christmas recess.

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