Peter Fitzpatrick (Louth, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There are a number of issues I would like the Government to raise at the forthcoming European Council meeting. The first and most important one is that of the roll-out of the Covid vaccination. As the Government knows but will not admit, we are way behind in getting vaccinations administered to the public. We need help now from our European colleagues to increase the number of vaccines we are receiving. What we are getting is simply not enough.

I saw a statistic over the weekend that showed that on the previous Sunday we administered just over 300 vaccinations, while the UK broke its record again by administering over 800,000 vaccinations on the same day. This statistic beggars belief. The numbers speak for themselves. More than 27 million people in the UK have received at least one dose of the Covid vaccine. That is more than half the population. Yet here in Ireland the latest figures show that just over 490,000 people have received their first dose of the vaccine and only just over 180,000 have received both doses. From our point of view, it gets even worse when we look at the figures from Northern Ireland. As of 18 March 2021, more than 710,000 doses of the vaccine have been administered in the North of Ireland. This has resulted in a transmission rate of just over 58 cases per 100,000, while in the South our rate of infection is currently 148 cases per 100,000.

The Government must realise there is something seriously wrong. I have said consistently that we need to take an all-island approach to this pandemic and it is clear that we are not doing so. The result of this is simple. The North will come out of lockdown much quicker than in the South and this will result in much greater problems down the road. The solution is simple. We need more vaccines now.

I urge the Government to make the strongest possible case at the European Council meeting. There is no point saying after the meeting that additional vaccines are not available. I note that after the Taoiseach spoke with US President Biden recently, he said that there were no spare vaccines available. Yet the following day, the USA signed deals with Mexico and Canada to supply them with their surplus vaccines. We cannot allow this to happen with our European colleagues.

The public are growing tired and weary at this stage. So many people have made great sacrifices and many have paid the ultimate price. We need to support these people. I am disappointed in the lack of clarity in the message the Government is putting out. I am inundated with calls from constituents asking for information about the vaccines and when they will get them. The Government needs to be more transparent and clear in its messages. It can start by demanding more vaccines from Europe as a matter of urgency. I ask that the Government to make the strongest possible case that the requirement for additional vaccines is critical at this stage and that more help is needed from our colleagues in Europe.

On the Single Market, I urge the Government to make a strong case that the effects of Brexit are every bit as bad as we had all feared. We were given assurances that the Northern Ireland protocol would protect not only the North but also the South from the effects of Brexit. Sadly, this is not proving to be the case. We are seeing the rising tensions in the North on the Northern Ireland protocol, particularly from the unionist side. I understand that the Government must support Europe in this regard but it is vital that Europe understands the particular difficulties that we face on the island of Ireland as a result of Brexit. Can the Government get assurances from our European colleagues that the Northern Ireland protocol will continue to be supported and that they will do everything in their power to put as much pressure on the UK Government to honour the agreements made under the Northern Ireland protocol?

On the bigger picture of the EU Single Market, can the Government make the case and outline the importance of the lower corporation tax rate in Ireland and the importance it has to the continued growth of our economy? We constantly hear of other European counties, particularly France and Germany, which see this as an advantage Ireland should not have and they make the point that we in Ireland have an unfair advantage in this regard. Will the Government confirm to the House that it will fully support and defend our right to continue to support companies that choose Ireland as their base? Again we hear many reports that these companies are paying very little in tax yet when we look at the figures this simply does not add up. On top of this, we must not forget the thousands of people who are employed by these companies as well as the contribution they make through their taxes and PRSI contributions.

I once more urge the Government to impress on our European colleagues the urgent need to increase the supply of vaccines to us. We simply cannot be left behind in this process and end up playing catch-up in the reopening of our society and economy. As I have already said, people have grown tired and weary at this stage. The Government must now give the people some ray of hope and it can start by securing additional vaccines from our European colleagues. This process must start immediately and at the forthcoming European Council meeting.

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