Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is a very important European summit tomorrow on vaccines. What will be the Taoiseach's strategy at that summit? I agree with him on vaccine nationalism, which I do not believe in, and I also do not believe in vaccine ingredient nationalism. However, I do believe in equity and fairness. I ask, therefore, that tomorrow, while we all fight to keep supply lines open and vaccines being produced for us and for those who need them most throughout the world, we also fight to ensure there is equity and fairness in the distribution of vaccines and the honouring of contracts, especially by companies such as AstraZeneca. Just a couple of hours ago, police entered a plant in Italy and found 29 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine there and available, potentially and probably to be exported to the UK.

Will the Taoiseach tomorrow ensure there is equity and fairness? While we do not want vaccine nationalism, we have to protect our citizens in Europe and Ireland. Will he ensure vaccines that were contracted will be honoured and that will be delivered on in the coming weeks before we have a change in circumstances whereby we allow vaccines to be exported en masseagain?

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