Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have a short statement and a few questions. I do not want to repeat what others have said. I thank the Minister for fielding all the questions this morning. From my constituency point of view, what is missing is the fact we do not have a clear programme. We have a plan but we should have a programme. A programme would include where we are getting our supplies from, when we expect them, how we are going to distribute them and how we are going to reach our target in September.

It is being rolled out and I congratulate everybody on what has happened so far, but there is a huge lack of information for people who are worried. People ask how they are going to get the vaccination, who is going to contact them and whether they need to register. I know of people living on their own who are not able to go to a GP. How are they going to get the vaccination? They need to know. It is the need to know which is creating the questions, and many questions have arisen. The HSE, or whoever is in charge of this, should prepare a programme, not a plan, indicating when we are going to get the supplies and then, for each month, how we are going to administer them. If I know I am in category 9 or 10, and that is in September, at least I know that. This is what is missing. People do not know what category they are in and it seems to be very complicated.

People have contacted me who are living at home and not able to access the GP because they do not have a car. They ask whether the GP will come to them to administer the vaccination. A woman rang me the other day who is caring for her parents. She is paying two people to come in to help to care for her parents, who need 24-hour care. She is not being paid through any organisation, company or otherwise - she is not on the radar. She needs to get the vaccination for her parents and for the key workers who are coming to her home, which is important. A couple in their 70s are living beside me. Their son came to me last Sunday and asked how he would get his mum and dad registered for the vaccination. Where do they go? Do they wait for the GP to contact them or do they have to ring the GP? How is this done? I do not have the answer and I do not know if the Minister has the answer. However, we need to be able to give out this information as quickly as possible. This is our great hope; it is the hope that this is going to get us out of this situation. However, these questions are being asked by people who are genuinely concerned.

I want to return to the situation with special needs education. One of the areas we need to look at is that we have 18,000 children without any educational service, and they are also without other services, such as speech therapy and so on. We need to do something to help everybody to get these children back to school. If that means trying to get some of the staff, including SNAs, vaccinated, I think we need to do it. I know everybody will say it is something that should be done today, and everybody wants it today and we are not all going to get it.

To come back to my original point, we need to be able to say to people when we expect they will get it. It is not a document that would be used to beat the Minister's head with if we do not fulfil something. It is to try to give some sense of the arrangement for everybody in regard to how this will be done.

It is also vital to state that what I read in the newspapers last Sunday really upset many people, whether it is true or false. I welcome the Minister's statement that there is no political interference. There should not be any political interference. This is not a political issue; it is a serious life or death issue and a health issue which we all need to work together on. Everybody will get vaccinated and I understand that, but the frustration is there.

The other component that arises in regard to the roll-out of the vaccination is whether we have looked at every available asset in the State to ensure we have the resources to deliver. I welcome that the GPs and the pharmacies have signed a deal, and that that will happen. However, have we looked at the Army and the Army Reserve from a logistical point of view with regard to delivery and helping out in creating these vaccination centres that we talk about? When are these going to be set up and can we make use of the resources we have in the State? Do we talk to the Office of Public Works about buildings which may be vacant and which can be used as drive-through vaccination centres rather than creating more cost elsewhere?

We are doing well in the roll-out of the vaccination. The only criticism I have, and it is more the offering of advice than a criticism, is that we need a plain language plan or programme so we can say to people they are going to get their vaccination and, for example, they will not get it until July, but at least they know they are going to get it in July. That is the target. Effectively, there are two parts to it. We have to get the supply right and we have to get the distribution and administration right.

I have concerns about the nursing homes and getting it out to them, and, in particular, getting it rolled out to all the staff involved. The problem with some of the nursing homes is that they are really against the wall at the moment. Where there is an outbreak and people have the virus, they are not being vaccinated, and the homes are trying to get additional staff but they do not know if these staff have been vaccinated. There is a huge issue. Whether it is private or public nursing homes, I ask that the Minister would make sure they get whatever they require. What I see and hear happening is not great for older people, and we need to protect them.

The most critical thing is information, clarity and a clear programme so that we, as politicians, will know and be able to tell everybody how this is being done. We will support the Minister in every way we can on that.

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