Malcolm Byrne (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join with colleagues in the call for a TRIPS waiver. I have raised this issue in the House on a number of occasions. Senator Moynihan and others have rightly made the point that until everybody on this planet is safe, nobody is safe. Senator Conway was correct when he said it is great that we have a vaccination rate of 95% and the average within the European Union is now approximately 70%. However, only 7% of those in low-income countries have received one dose of a vaccine. Ireland and the European Union are facing a test of global solidarity and it is important that we take strong action.

I raise the issue of accessibility to our beaches. I know the Leader is very familiar with the beaches of County Wexford. Beaches should be accessible to as many people as possible but, unfortunately, that is not the case for many wheelchair users. There have been some strides to ensure our beaches are accessible and measures have been introduced to allow that. A young man in County Wexford, Mr. Matthew McGrath, is a teenager who is a wheelchair user. He has launched a campaign to ensure a lot more of our beaches are accessible, focusing on north Wexford. We need a national approach to how we make our national amenities around the country accessible to everybody. I am certainly strongly supporting Mr. McGrath's campaign. There is a need for a whole-of-government to look at our beaches, wonderful assets that they are, and how we can use them.