Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I spoke to people in the Minister of State’s own party yesterday and last week who have family members with health conditions of their own. Some are pregnant and have been advised by their consultants not to take the vaccination. These are people in her own party who have been told not to take the vaccination while pregnant during certain weeks because their safety could not be guaranteed, in that while the vaccine would do nothing to the pregnant women, the consultants could not guarantee it would not do something to the child. This was the medical advice given.

The Minister of State has been talking about medical advice since she come into the House where she states that the Government wants to get the hospitality sector open but it has done nothing but the opposite to this. The Government has actually caused a divide where families are falling out with each other because people have differing views. I already have stated in the Dáil Chamber that I have never once told a person not to take a vaccination but equally, I have never told a person to take one either. If a person wants to take a vaccination, he or she should take the vaccination. If you have concerns about that, you go to your medical person, who will advise on the position. People who have medical conditions are approaching me. Three such people own businesses in the hospitality sector and have been advised by their consultants not to take the vaccine while they are on their current medication. Those same people will not be allowed to serve people in their own bar. Does that mean that they will not be allowed to work in their own premises?

I am sorry to say this to the Minister of State, and it is not personal, but I have never seen her so passionate in jumping up and having a go but she is talking out of both sides of her mouth again. One side of the Government says one thing and another side says something else.

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