David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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55. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if the Government will support the trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights waiver proposal at the World Trade Organisation ministerial conference [30804/22]

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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69. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment if he will support a trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights waiver to end global Covid-19 vaccine inequity given that the majority of the Irish public, Seanad Éireann, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the World Health Organisation have called for a TRIPS waiver for Covid-19 vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics; and if the Government will advocate today at the World Trade Organisation Ministerial conference for the European Union to support the TRIPS waiver. [30787/22]

Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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76. To ask the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. 6 of 19 May 2022, if he will report on his engagement at European Union and World Trade Organisation levels with regard to the waiving of intellectual property rights in respect of Covid-19 vaccines; if he is satisfied that the recent agreement at World Trade Organisation-level adequately addresses global inequality in access to Covid-19 medication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45157/22]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 55, 69 and 76 together.

Universal and equitable access to safe, effective and affordable vaccines is crucial in the global fight against COVID-19.

The WTO Ministerial Conference concluded on 17 June with Ministers agreeing an outcome in relation to the production and supply of Covid-19 vaccines. The ‘Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement’ provides for a waiverof certain obligations of the TRIPS Agreement and includes a number of clarifications that will allow eligible WTO Members to authorise a company to manufacture and export COVID-19 vaccines in a fast and simplified manner and without the consent of the patent owner, for example by an executive order or emergency decree.

Moreover, the Ministerial Decision clarifies that the remuneration payable to patent owners must take account of the humanitarian or not-for-profit purpose of production, thereby supporting the production and supply of COVID-19 vaccines at affordable prices to those in need.

Fundamentally, the waiver will simplify to the maximum, the process to export vaccines and their ingredients to other developing countries and enable countries in a continent like Africa to scale up their production capacity and supply vaccines to other countries. It will also support the establishment of manufacturing hubs that rely on supply chains in multiple countries.

This outcome willallow developing countries to benefit from the innovation that the system sustains, in an environment that incentivises investments, research and transfer of technology, that the international community should make to boost capacity and diversification in the production of vaccines, and pharmaceutical products more broadly, throughout the world.

While the Ministerial Decision is applicable to the production and export of COVID-19 vaccines, WTO Members are expected to decide, no later than December 2022, on whether to extend the waiver to cover the production and supply of COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics. Ireland will continue to fully engage constructively with the European Commission and other Member States on the EU position regarding this matter.

To date, over 1.7 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been delivered via the COVAX facility to 146 countries and territories .

Ireland has committed to donating up to 5 million doses largely via COVAX. Over 2 million doses have already been delivered to recipient countries including to Uganda, Nigeria, Indonesia, Ghana and Burkina Faso and Sudan. In addition, Ireland has also committed €13.5mn in financing to the COVAX facility to facilitate the purchase of vaccines by low and lower middle-income countries and to cover the transport and insurance costs associated with donations.