Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE) | Oireachtas source

That was quite a slippery answer from the Tánaiste. I will attempt to get an answer again. People Before Profit has been campaigning for months for a people's vaccine to stop the big pharmaceutical companies and their profit interest standing in the way of people getting access to vaccines and to seek to avoid the horror scenes we are seeing in India. The Government had a position, which was to oppose a people's vaccine. They dismissed the people's vaccine in the Dáil and they went along with the EU in using its votes at the WTO to block the India-South Africa proposal. Now the Biden Administration, under pressure from below, has changed its position. It seems to recognise that COVAX is no solution whatsoever. They are saying they will support a suspension. There is a question for Ireland. I saw the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, welcoming the announcement from the US but, if that is the case, will the Government be pressurising the EU to use its vote to support the India-South Africa proposal to suspend TRIPS?

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