Seanad debates

Wednesday, 15 December 2021

10:30 am

Photo of Frances BlackFrances Black (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister of State is very welcome to the House. I am so proud to co-sponsor this motion with my colleagues and friends, Senators Higgins and Ruane. I commend Senator Higgins on her leadership on this issue and her passion for fighting for what is right. I am just blown away by this debate.I commend Senators Malcolm Byrne, O'Loughlin and Garvey on the stand they have taken. It gives me hope. I am not sure whether any of us two years ago would have anticipated that we would still be talking about Covid-19 today but we need to acknowledge that this reality is our own doing. As Senator Malcolm Byrne stated, we should be proud of the success of our domestic vaccine roll-out, but it means nothing while significant portions of the international community remain unvaccinated.

I will focus on two arguments that speak to the importance of Ireland and the European Commission supporting a TRIPS waiver. The first is that it is immoral for us not to take the actions within our capacity to support the expedient production and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines around the world. The second is the domestic cost of our inaction.

We are undoubtedly privileged to have been able to access vaccines as freely and readily as we have done, but this is not our birthright. That we were born into the wealthy global north is a matter of complete luck, which we need to acknowledge. How can we continue to block the expedited production and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines in the global south while the pandemic continues to rage and people continue to suffer and lose their lives? We have been told many times that we are all in this together but as long as we continue to block the expedited production and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines in the global south, that is just empty rhetoric. As philosopher Professor Peter Singer has said, if it is within our power to prevent the suffering of another person, it is our moral imperative to do so. It does not matter if that person is close to us or far away because suffering is suffering. The reality is that people in the global south are suffering more in this pandemic than those of us in the global north, both in terms of public health and the social and economic consequences of the pandemic. While the European Union has donated vaccines to the global south through the COVAX scheme, the number of vaccines actually delivered to countries is less than those donated. If we persist with the status quo, we will never get ahead of this pandemic. To rely on the charity of developed economies is to fail in our moral duty to the vulnerable in the global south. Where governments in the global south are purchasing vaccines, this accounts for a far greater proportion of their health budgets than for governments like ours. As a result, we need to drive down the cost of vaccines. Generic production is an important piece of this puzzle. We cannot rely on the market to address this issue because it will not.

We must consider the benefit of supporting the TRIPS waiver in terms of our own self-interest. At a selfish level, we should want Covid vaccines to be delivered to the most people as quickly as possible. This is the best way of ensuring that life here in Ireland returns to a version of itself that is closer to the one we left behind in March 2020. By accelerating the vaccination of the majority of the global population, we limit the opportunity for new variants to develop. This is common sense. It brings benefits in terms of domestic public health but it would also make a return to normal functioning in Irish society and our economy certain.

In pandering to the interests of large pharmaceutical companies, we may protect certain kinds of inward investment but what is the financial cost of blocking the TRIPS waiver if we factor in the need for public health restrictions that shut down portions of the economy and put large numbers of people out of work? Are we content to let pharmaceutical companies make unprecedented levels of profit at the expense of Irish people and society? Why is it that certain industries, such as the entertainment industry, have to shoulder the burden but large pharmaceutical companies do not? We are all carrying this burden but the pharmaceutical companies are walking away with not a bother on them.

We are now entering the third year of this pandemic. Surely it is time to reflect on our successes and failures to adjust our strategy moving forward. It seems that vaccines alone are not going to see the end of this pandemic but they will continue to play a central role. The question we need to ask ourselves is what role do we want Ireland to play in guiding the global community out of the darkest days of this pandemic. I am clear as to what I feel Ireland should do, that is, support this motion on a TRIPS waiver for Covid-19 vaccines and use our diplomatic influence to encourage other EU member states and the European Commission to do the same. It is not only the just and right thing to do, but also what is required of us to bring this pandemic to its conclusion.

This is about saving thousands, if not millions, of lives. The Minister of State has the power to do the right thing. Even Government Members are not against this motion. Will he please withdraw the amendment and do the right thing? He is a good man. Most Fine Gael Members are good people with good hearts who want to do the right thing.

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