Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am going to be brief and allow the Minister one and a half minutes in which to respond to my question. Initially, it needs to be acknowledged that we are administering the vaccines as soon as they come in. That is lost here as Members play politics with the matter. Most of the vaccines that have arrived in the country have been distributed and are finding their way to patients. That needs to be acknowledged. I welcome the NIAC review that was undertaken in the past few weeks. It has given great comfort, including to cystic fibrosis patients, those with underlying health concerns and people on dialysis. It was welcome. I ask that it be reviewed constantly over the coming weeks.

My first question is on the Covid app. It is a great piece of technology. I use it myself but it is underutilised. Only 100,000, or a maximum of 170,000, check it every day. I would welcome a review and the readvertising or revamp of the app. We need to use the technology in the best way we can.

To follow on from Deputy Murnane O'Connor's question on vaccine refusal, I have a query. Are refusals being logged by general practitioners, the HSE or the Department? Is the information being kept? On housebound patients, could the Minister expand on the facilities for those who cannot find their way to a general practitioner or vaccination centre?

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