Pat Casey (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her reply. I acknowledge that the limited amount of vaccine received is being rolled out and administered, and that the issue is about supply. That is why I put down the Commencement matter today. There is clear evidence in relation to the cohort I am referring to that there is a 25% mortality rate, and it should be at the same level as nursing home residents.

I know it is not within the remit of the Minister of State to tell me how quickly a review can be done. We would all love to know what "quickly" means. All I ask the Minister of State to do is to raise our concerns about this cohort with the Minister. It is not that they should receive preferential treatment but that they should receive a fair treatment based on science and fact, which the Department is aware of. We should try to get them up to whatever level we can. We should see if the distinction between age groups within that cohort can be removed.