Ms Maria Walsh:

I voted in favour of the TRIPS waiver in the European Parliament. The pandemic has stopped the whole world, therefore we need to show solidarity. We must also look beyond the TRIPS waiver. I mentioned the growing rise of HIV and AIDS in other countries and the fact that if patents are owned in Europe we should look at what immediate effect we can make. I understand the resources in other countries is not the same as it would be in the European Union. That still does not mean we leave anybody behind. The question was asked by Senator Pauline O'Reilly of whether we are here as a building block of solidarity or if we are leaving. I agree with what was said about any work we can do in terms of echoing that in the European Parliament. She should please let me know.

I wholeheartedly agree with her about Mercosur. We cannot ask for perfection in the custodians of the land and ignore the fact that, first, climate disasters are happening in other countries, and fundamental rights are not being protected either. I will be watching closely to make sure that the work we do as Ireland Inc. is also in sync. Mr. Markey sits on the agriculture committee. We make sure that we feed in any suggestions from constituents. I will be going into any debates on Mercosur with a green perspective because green initiatives and mental health are two common threads we need to have on everything and we are not getting it within that package.I believe in competition and we must figure out other markets that will benefit the European Union and Ireland Inc., but not to the detriment of the environment.