Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Just in case I do not get the opportunity to speak tomorrow, I want to wish the Cathaoirleach a very happy Christmas. This is his first Christmas as Cathaoirleach of the Seanad and he has done a great job so far. He has been very co-operative and supportive of Members and a great ambassador for Seanad Éireann. I thank him for that. I also want to acknowledge the work done by the Clerk, Mr. Martin Groves, the Clerk Assistant, Ms Brigid Doody and the team behind them. They are great people and they do a great job. I wish them a very happy Christmas. We have had a challenging year. It has been difficult for everybody and in that context, I wish everybody a peaceful and safe Christmas. With regard to the vaccines, 2021 will be dominated by the discourse on vaccines, certainly in the first and second quarters. Members of the task force on the Covid-19 vaccine appeared before the health committee yesterday and it was a super engagement. Great professionals are taking charge of ensuring that the vaccine is delivered to as many people as possible as quickly as possible when the doses of vaccine arrive into the country. The work that has been done already is commendable. However, I am concerned about people who have intellectual disabilities and who are not in care settings but live in the community. Clarity is required about how these people will be communicated with and accommodated with regard to the vaccine. There is a job of work to be done in terms of, first, how to identify these people, who I consider vulnerable, and, second, how the message will be communicated. Obviously, vulnerable people in care settings will be looked after first, but after that we must identify the vulnerable people in the community and have a plan for them. That plan must be transparent.

I would appreciate if we could have a debate in the new year on the Covid-19 vaccine because I believe that will dominate political discussion for at least the first four or five months of 2021.