Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My thanks to the Deputy for her question. There is nothing I would like more - there is nothing any of us would like more - than to have all of the supply here now, because then we could vaccinate all the people the Deputy is talking about at the same time. That is what we would like to be able to do. However, because of the limited supplies, at least in the initial months, we need prioritisation. The prioritisation came from the national immunisation committee and was agreed by the National Public Health Emergency Team, NPHET. As I said earlier, there is a review going on by NIAC at the moment with regard to those with underlying conditions.

The number of people in the country with underlying conditions is very large and some of them are highly vulnerable to Covid-19. I have asked for a review to specifically identify that group of people because the principle of the vaccination programme is that it is safe, fair and effective. In other words, we must vaccinate the most vulnerable first. We are therefore doing a review of that. Family carers have been asked about specifically many times and that is very reasonable. The Deputy and I, as well as everyone in this House, recognise the invaluable work family carers do. The Deputy has given several examples of families where the work done is just above and beyond and it is done every day. All I want is to be able to give them a date. I would love to be able to tell them to go down to their GP on Monday alongside the people aged 85 years and over. However, there must be a sequence. Those who are being cared for, who would be most vulnerable were they to get this awful virus, must be vaccinated first and then we will move on as quickly as possible to those caring for them.

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