Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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617. To ask the Minister for Health if his Department indemnified any private companies in respect of the proposed roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine; if so, the name of each company any level of indemnity has been provided to; the type of indemnity provided in each case in terms of side effects, illness, potential death, lack of immunity provided, ineffective vaccine, damage to unborn children and so on; if any of the supply, delivery or administering the vaccine elements has been indemnified; if so, the value for each company; and the lowest and highest estimated potential cost to the State if the indemnification is called upon due to legal action in respect of the vaccine. [41365/20]

Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Aontú)
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696. To ask the Minister for Health if a contingency has been put aside to deal with potential cases that may be brought against the State if something goes wrong with the Covid-19 vaccine; and if so, the amount set aside. [41860/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 617 and 696 together.

Ireland is currently involved in an EU Procurement Exercise being operated by the European Commission on behalf of member states to procure a portfolio of suitable, safe and effective vaccines, in sufficient quantities, to combat COVID-19.

As part of the exercise, Ireland has already opted into an Advance Purchase Agreement (APA) with AstraZeneca (partnering with Oxford University); Janssen (Johnson & Johnson); BioNTech / Pfizer; CureVac and Moderna.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is the body which can authorise vaccines for EU Member States.It is likely that it will consider ‘conditional’ marketing authorisation for certain vaccines, and its opinion could be issued within weeks, depending on whether the data submitted are sufficiently robust and complete to show the quality, safety and effectiveness of the vaccine.

The content of the Advance Purchase Agreements, including with regard to liability / indemnity, are negotiated with vaccine suppliers by the European Commission and its negotiation team acting on behalf of Member States. Member States may decide to opt in / opt out, but do not have scope to recast the provisions of any APA. Responsibility for claims management will be assigned to the State Claims Agency.

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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618. To ask the Minister for Health if there will be a revision of the number of guests from 25 to 50 for weddings taking place shortly after Christmas if cases of Covid-19 continue to decrease; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41391/20]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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619. To ask the Minister for Health the number of guests who can attend a christening in view of the fact there is no mention of christenings in the level 3 Covid-19 guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41394/20]

Jackie Cahill (Tipperary, Fianna Fail)
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621. To ask the Minister for Health the reason 50 persons are allowed at a religious service but only 25 are allowed at funerals; if this will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41396/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 618, 619 and 621 together.

As the Deputy is aware, the Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19 sets out Ireland's approach to managing and living with COVID-19 in a range of areas over the next 6 - 9 months.

The Plan sets out five levels of response, each with a number of measures designed to help us all lower COVID-19 transmission and setting out what is permitted at that moment in time. It aims to allow society and businesses to be able to operate as normally as possible, while continuing to suppress the virus. The Plan is framed to account for periods during which there is a low incidence of the disease, with isolated clusters and low community transmission, through to situations where there is a high or rapidly increasing incidence, widespread community transmission and the pandemic is escalating rapidly in Ireland and globally. It recognises the need for society and business to be allowed to continue as normally as possible and is designed so that either national or county level restrictions can be applied. Each level outlines what is permitted for social or family gatherings, work and public transport, bars, hotels and restaurants, exercise activities and religious services.

As I am sure the Deputy can appreciate, COVID-19 spreads when individuals and groups come into close contact with one another, enabling the virus to move from one person to another. COVID-19 is infectious in a person with no symptoms, or for the period of time before they develop symptoms. For this reason, we are all asked to be extra careful when socialising and working with others. For now, we must act like we have the virus to protect those around us from infection.

The number of people allowed to gather in different scenarios in the Government Framework are based on a review of international practice and the judgment of public health experts. It seeks to balance the risks of different types of gatherings against the desire to allow normal activities to proceed in so far as possible.

It is advised to socialise safely and within the capacity limits. These various limits in the Levels are all designed to reduce the number of households mixing with each other and cut down the virus’s chances of spreading into more homes. 

The Deputy should note that the numbers should not be considered a target - they are the maximum recommended number. It’s always safer to meet less people, less often, for less time. If we do this, we have a better chance of keeping to the lower Levels in the Framework, and continuing to keep businesses, schools, and healthcare services open, while also protecting the most vulnerable. 

Ireland is now on level 3 of the framework Resilience and Recovery 2020-2021: Plan for Living with COVID-19. Details of the public health measures in place for weddings and places of worship from 1 December can be found at .

Details of the public health measures in place for the Christmas period can be found at .

Guidance for religious services can be found at .

I and my Cabinet colleagues recognise the immense sacrifices that are being made by people across the country at this difficult time. I know that that includes many people who are affected by their inability to attend church in the way they have been used to. However, there has been significant engagement and solidarity from the Catholic Church and other Faiths at all stages throughout this pandemic to ensure the protection of individuals and communities from COVID-19. Indeed, as the Deputy will be aware, the Taoiseach recently met with the leaders of the Catholic Church recently to consider the range of issues relating this matter.