Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú) | Oireachtas source

Like everybody else, I want to see the country reopened. I understand the vaccine roll-out is key to that objective. I have been pushing for many months for a timely rolling out of vaccines. However, I oppose mandatory vaccinations. Encouragement has proven far more successful than browbeating people. I received a number of phone calls from students over the past number of days who have told me they are being forced to take the vaccine against their will. One woman called me and said she was under massive stress and she cannot sleep. She indicates she has been told that if she wants to finish the two weeks of placement she has left, she must take the vaccine. In other words, she must take the vaccine to continue her career. She says she is looking at Germany and Canada, two countries that have paused the roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine for her age cohort, and she cannot understand why the HSE is making it mandatory for students to take this vaccine to continue with a particular career. Will the Taoiseach guarantee these students will not be forced to take the vaccine?

In the statements yesterday, the Taoiseach mentioned that people who have been vaccinated can meet. I welcome that. How will that be policed or will it be policed? Will there be occasions where gardaí will attend people's houses and ask them to prove they have been vaccinated?

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