David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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668. To ask the Minister for Health if Ireland has purchased additional doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that other countries did not want, as has been done by Germany, France and Denmark; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2921/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland is participating in a Procurement Exercise being operated by the European Commission on behalf of Member States to procure suitable, safe and effective vaccines, in sufficient quantities, to combat COVID-19. Six APAs have been negotiated by the Commission under this process to date.

Government approval has been obtained to opt-into a sixth, but this is conditional on certain trial progression criteria being met.

Ireland opt-in to pro rata allocation of BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. Ireland also secured additional doses of the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine via options and top up contracts, which will bring the current total of BioNTech/Pfizer doses secured to 5.49 million doses. Ireland has also signalled interest in obtaining 5,000 additional doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Ireland has signalled its solidarity with the EU approach and has, through its participation, gained access to a broad range of vaccines that it might not otherwise have access to, and at the cost agreed collectively by the EU.