Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Just before I came to the House today, I met the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, because I was taking this Commencement matter and the issue raised is a serious one. I have two girls and I have inquired about the cost of getting the vaccine. Senator Conway is correct; it is between €400 and €600. I want my daughters vaccinated but like many other parents, I would like to bridge the gap and bring the current vaccination rate of 73% or 80% up to 100%. We must ensure we make the vaccine available free of charge to all young people under 24 years in order that we have 100% take-up. By doing that, we will bring everybody with us. In addition, as Senator Conway correctly said, we have, in the vaccination centres, a system in place that means we do not need to reinvent the wheel. We can use these centres to help in the mop-up exercise. I was heartened to hear that the Minister is putting a package together, perhaps as part of his budgetary proposals, and HPV is part of it.