Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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192. To ask the Minister for Health the status of his engagements with the Office of the First Minister and deputy First Minster in relation to an all-island response on vaccination. [42534/20]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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There has been significant engagement between the Ministers for Health, the Chief Medical Officers, and the Departments of Health in Ireland and Northern Ireland throughout this pandemic. A Memorandum of Understanding was formally agreed by the Chief Medical Officers of the Department of Health and the Department of Health in Northern Ireland on Tuesday 7 April to strengthen North South co-operation on the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The engagement to date has been very pragmatic and constructive.

Weekly calls between the CMO’s North and South continue. In recent months, both sides have exchanged views on vaccination programmes and planning for roll out in each jurisdiction.