Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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1101. To ask the Minister for Health if Ireland has decided to partake in the rescEU stockpile of medical equipment; if not, the reason; if so, the breakdown of the supplies received; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32744/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the European Commission has developed the rescEU medical stockpile and distribution system under the umbrella of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). The stockpile, which is currently hosted across six Member States (Denmark, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Romania and Sweden), enables the delivery of medical equipment to Member States and other participating countries at a reduced cost, or free of charge in some instances. The stockpile is still in development, but it is proposed that supplies will be allocated according to a methodology developed by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

To date, Ireland has not submitted any requests for medical equipment under rescEU, which is primarily intended as a last line of defence for countries with urgent, short-term supply issues.