We have a vaccine supply problem in this country, across Europe and across the world. We heard earlier today on "Morning Ireland" about the possibility in certain parts of the world that the roll-out could take until 2023 or 2024. With the difficulty that exists in regard to the new strains and the economic damage that is happening, this is utterly unacceptable and could lead to a cost of trillions. What interaction has the Taoiseach and the European Commission had with companies with a view to using the capacity that exists in Europe and elsewhere in the world? What we want to see is for companies to forgo intellectual rights and know-how. That is the best-case scenario. Either way, if we have capacity across the world in the pharmaceutical industry, it needs to be used. This is far too important an issue to do otherwise. It is life and death. I am asking the Taoiseach what interaction he and the European Commission have had with companies on this matter.

Night after night, the people of Ireland are being subjected to the Minister for Health, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, in front of them on their screens, like Comical Ali, saying that the administration of the vaccine is going fine. Everybody knows it is not. A €1 billion per month unmitigated disaster is happening in this country. I know of surgeries in my constituency that will not have the vaccine for over-85s until the end of next week. One surgery has not got a date for delivery as of yet. Every single month that the Government fails on the roll-out of the vaccine is costing billions of euro. It is pushing people into poverty and keeping shops and restaurants closed. What efforts has the Government really made in regard to the procurement of the vaccine, in addition to the European supply chain? Why is there a cap-tipping deference to the European Union in this country all the time? It cost us billions of euro ten years ago and it is costing us billions of euro now.

The Taoiseach will be talking to the new US President, Joe Biden, for St. Patrick's Day. Will he ask Mr. Biden to help Ireland? We need to get outside of the EU process and get the vaccines into this country. All of the Irish people in America will help us. All the Taoiseach has to do is open his mouth and say, "Please support the Irish", and they will do it.

Arising from yesterday's health committee meeting, it would appear that there are obvious fears in the HSE that it will not be possible to meet targets, as already indicated, and that the situation could change dramatically for the worse as time goes by. I support the other speakers in raising the urgent necessity to seek out other ways and means of providing an adequate vaccine supply in the shortest possible time in order to be able, at least, to compete with our neighbours and assure our citizens that we are in a serious position in terms of dealing with this issue.

It is quite evident to the people of this country that we have a vaccine supply issue. Every other Deputy is in the same position as me in having issues to raise in this regard. When are gardaí and shop workers going to be vaccinated? What about the people living on the islands off west Cork, including Bere Island, Cape Clear Island, Sherkin Island, Long Island and the many other islands? There are elderly people living there who cannot come off the island. These are people in their 80s and 90s and they need to be shown the respect of at least informing them when they will be vaccinated. Can the Taoiseach give us some clarity in this regard today?

A range of Deputies spoke on this issue. First of all, I have to say to Deputy Tóibín that he should withdraw his remark. It is completely unfounded and the level of his invective is just not warranted. It is not proportionate, it is not balanced and it is doing a disservice. The vaccination programme in this country is working.

It is not working.

The Taoiseach, without interruption.

It is having a very significant impact on those who are being vaccinated. We have reached those cohorts who are most vulnerable to severe illness and death. The over-85s, by and large-----

Come off it, please, Deputy Tóibín.

I ask the Deputy, please, not to interrupt the Taoiseach.

The Deputy should stop the blackguarding on this issue. I want to make the point that there are a number of strands of thought that have emerged. I will come back to Deputy Ó Murchú's question because he has made a valid point in the global sense. A total of 95% of everything that comes into the country is being injected into people within the week. That is a fact.

In terms of the global supply issue, there are three major continents that are manufacturing vaccines. In Asia, we have China, and then there is Europe and the United States. There is no magic tree out there that we can pick vaccines off. That is an illusion. I spoke to the UK Prime Minister and we talked about vaccines. He volunteered to me that he would love to help Ireland but his first priority is to get his entire people vaccinated. That is what he said. Yet, we have people jumping up and down saying we should ask Boris Johnson and he will give us his surplus. He does not have surplus vaccines to give to Ireland right now.

We cannot get into a lengthy debate on this matter.

We have asked the German Government whether it has reserves of AstraZeneca to give, because there were articles written saying that it was not using those vaccines. We got a very quick response from the German Government saying that it will be using all of its AstraZeneca supplies. The key to this, going back to Deputy Ó Murchú's point, is the global situation. If we do not vaccinate countries in Africa and all the other countries, ultimately, we risk the arrival of new variants in the fullness of time.

Thank you, Taoiseach. We cannot go into this issue any further.

The European Union has been very committed in this regard and has provided very substantive funding to COVAX and other initiatives on that front.