Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I have a couple of points regarding Limerick. Will partners be able to be present at the birth of their children in maternity hospitals? This is a major issue. Staff in the hospital have been vaccinated. At this point it is a human rights issue. Another issue that is coming up repeatedly is students who require vaccines for their placements in the health and other sectors. What is happening there? What is being done to ramp up ambulance services to provide vaccines at home for people who are in a vulnerable category and are unable to go to their GPs?

One success story is that 95% of vaccines delivered are administered within seven days. What can the Minister do to give an assurance within the time available for a response that that will be maintained when we ramp up the number of vaccines we administer? Do we have the capacity for that?

Can the Minister outline his view on the concerns expressed by the Attorney General and businesses in respect of the introduction of quarantine for people travelling here from other EU countries? I know of a lady who is based in New Zealand and wants to come home. Her mother has passed away. She wants to come through Frankfurt. If the new quarantine rules are introduced, she will have to quarantine for 14 days on arrival in Ireland. That does not make sense when she is coming from a country like New Zealand.

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