Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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42. To ask the Taoiseach his views on a day of commemoration for those that have lost their lives to Covid-19; and if there are plans within Departments to progress such proposals. [33712/21]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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COVID-19 has brought grief and loss to our lives in ways that most of us have not experienced in our lifetime. In the Governments Covid-19 Residence and Recovery 2021 The Path Ahead we acknowledged that it will be important as a people that we pause and reflect, take time to remember and pay tribute both to those who have lost their lives but also to everyone who has contributed to how we have faced and are facing the challenges together.

The plan also recognises that it would be important to capture those very different experiences and to figure out what we have learned about ourselves as a society.The National Library of Ireland captures the lived experience of Ireland as it happens so it can then be shared with the world. A major focus of the National Library’s collection in 2020/2021 has been around COVID-19.

A programme of national and local events will be developed to commemorate those we have lost, to celebrate all those who have helped us survive and endure, and ensure there is support from all those who feel alone or lost. It is not possible with the current restrictions to organise an appropriate national commemoration. When the time is right, there will be an opportunity for us nationally to remember those who died during this difficult time. The Protocol and Civic Policy Division in my Department are working with the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media on the format for a national commemoration, which is still under consideration.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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43. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if recent statements of support for the WTO waiver for Covid-19 vaccines and treatments by the leaders of Spain and France and resolutions by the European Parliament show that there is a growing global consensus in favour of this policy; his views on whether support for the WTO waiver is fully in line with Ireland’s policy values, specifically in the spirit of SDG target 3.b; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33647/21]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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Universal and equitable access to safe, effective and affordable diagnostics, treatments and vaccines is crucial in the global fight against COVID-19. The EU’s participation in the recent G7 discussions, where additional commitments on the provision of vaccines globally was agreed, bears witness to that.

International Trade is a competence of the EU under the Treaties. In exercising that competence at the World Trade Organisation or WTO, the European Commission engages with Member States, including Ireland, through a variety of Committee and Working Parties/Groups, including on intellectual property, or IP.

South Africa and India amended their original proposal for a waiver by broadening the scope; it now covers all COVID-19 related health products and technologies for prevention, treatment, and containment of the disease and provides that the waiver shall be in force for 3 years and that only the WTO General Council in a consensus decision could determine the date of termination of the waiver.

On the 4th of June, the EU submitted a proposal to the WTO General Council, which proposes that WTO Members could agree on a global trade initiative for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics encompassing the three components of (i) trade facilitation and disciplines on export restrictions; (ii) concrete actions to expand production and ensure supply of vaccines at affordable prices to low and middle income countries during the pandemic and (iii) clarification and facilitation of TRIPS Agreement flexibilities relating to compulsory licenses.

Production capacity is a key issue here and, again at the G7 earlier this month, the EU Commission announced €1b in funding for the building of production capacity in Africa, which will create long-term production capacity in Africa. The US Government announced its support for a waiver of IP protection for COVID-19 vaccines only. The statement acknowledged that reaching agreement on this at the WTO will take time given the consensus-based nature of the institution and the complexity of the issues involved.

The EU continues to be committed to an open and comprehensive dialogue with all WTO members to explore how the multilateral rules-based trading system can best support universal and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments.

The EU believes that the WTO international agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (The TRIPS Agreement), allows countries the flexibility to respond to the concerns raised by proponents of the waiver. Specifically, the TRIPS Agreement allows compulsory licensing which is when a government permits an entity to produce the patented product or process without the consent of the patent owner.

The EU also believes that voluntary licensing and the dissemination of technology and know-how is the more effective way of quickly scaling up manufacturing globally.

The EU considers that the COVAX Facility, the international initiative to ensure global supply and access to COVID-19 vaccines, is the mechanism that is best placed to ensure that high-income countries finance the vaccines and support the developing countries to secure their share of global supply.

The EU has also submitted a proposal for a Declaration to the WTO TRIPS Council, which seeks to clarify how the existing TRIPS flexibilities could be more effective than a waiver.

Ireland will engage with the European Commission and other member states on the EU position for the WTO discussions on how the intellectual property protections flexibilities for COVID-19 vaccines can help to resolve the crisis and contribute towards increasing the manufacturing capacity and the equitable access to vaccines around the world.