Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for the questions. The most important thing for all of us to understand, and I have asked the question myself on the IT system, is that a very complex IT system has been put in place that did not exist previously. Due to a lack of investment in public health in the past we did not have an existing national vaccination IT system and that has now been put in place in record time. Critically, none of the IT development is slowing down the vaccination programme. In some cases, as part of the data gathering, people are inputting on paper and that is then being entered into the IT system. It is not causing confusion to the best of my knowledge. It is requiring some data entry but, importantly, it is not slowing down the vaccination programme.

With regard to the GP system and the wider portal for the public, which will become very important, the system that is required for what we are doing now was delivered around 29 December - I cannot remember the exact date.

Additional functionality is being added but it is not needed yet. We are in a targeted phase of the programme, involving front-line healthcare workers, nursing homes and other long-term residential care facilities. The portal and other functionality are being put together and I am told they will be ready well in advance of when they are needed.

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