Jerry Buttimer (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I join Senators McDowell, Murphy and Sherlock in asking the Deputy Leader to facilitate a debate on the issue of vaccination. Many of us have been very supportive of the vaccine regime for a long time. We do not need to be told to sign a pledge to support vaccination. It is imperative that we show leadership collectively and that we dispel urgently the myth around vaccination. Vaccination works. All of us, in our roles as leaders in the House and as citizens, must promote and support vaccination. The vaccination plan being announced today, and being agreed by the Cabinet as we speak, is one we should debate in the House. It is so important that we should meet next week to debate it.

We need to support further the HSE immunisation office in terms of funding, in particular on the issue of education and the promotional work it does. I make the point separately to Senator McDowell that we should demand leadership of public representatives and we should challenge those Members of the Oireachtas who are leading anti-vaccination marches and leading the charge against vaccination to come up and debate it in these Houses in an open and transparent manner. The anti-vaccination propaganda must be challenged and debunked on behalf of all of us.