The shortage of vaccine supplies relative to the demand is well known, as are the reasons for it. I have no doubt that if the Taoiseach could source more vaccines, have vaccines manufactured in Ireland or even make vaccines himself, he would do so. Given that Dr. Mike Ryan talked about the ethical dilemma of administering vaccines to healthy young people when healthcare workers and elderly vulnerable individuals across the world need it, why are we administering them to healthy young people who have immunity and antibodies arising from previous infection? The latter can be proven by means of an antibody test. HIQA accepts that immunity following infection lasts for at least six months. We do not know that the immunity resulting from a vaccine will be much longer than that. It is certainly hoped and expected that it will be longer but we cannot say that with certainty, any more than we can say with certainty that there is immunity from having contracted the virus. That is generally accepted and it informs the approach of Israel, which is considered to be a world leader in vaccination. Israel afforded certain additional freedoms to people who had been vaccinated or who had immunity arising from infection and recovery. Likewise, it informs the EU digital pass, which, depending on its detail, may prove to be a good thing or a bad thing in facilitating freedom of movement. Why are we using such a scarce resource, that so many people want, and giving it to young, healthy people working in medical settings or who just happen to work for an NGO or a body that has front-line workers, even if they are not front-line workers themselves?

Unfortunately, that scenario is commonplace.

My second question is that the Taoiseach informed the Dáil and Deputy Naughten categorically that there would be no compulsory vaccination in the State, that that was never our approach and that this was based around bodily autonomy and informed consent. Given that, why are student nurses in Ireland now being told that they have to be vaccinated to be able to finish their placements and thereby finish their degrees? We need these people. These are nurses who have been on the front line all along. They have put their health and their bodies on the line for this State. Many of them are delighted that they are going to be given the vaccine but there are some who simply do not want it. The Taoiseach has acknowledged that there will be no compulsory vaccination.

The Government’s Minister for Health categorically denied in the Dáil that Mass going would be a penal provision and we now know that the State has adopted a contrary approach. He needs to correct the record of the Dáil in that regard for the sake of parliamentary democracy. That is a different issue, however, and I ask the Taoiseach to respond to the questions I have raised.

On Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access, COVAX, and what Dr. Mike Ryan has said more generally, Ireland and indeed the European Union is the strongest contributor to COVAX and, as we know, given the EU’s strong manufacturing capacity with manufacturing sites across Europe, it is one of the biggest contributors globally to the distribution of vaccines which are paid for by other countries but are manufactured within the European Union geographically. Funding and policy-wise Europe is contributing hugely to COVAX because no one is safe until we are all safe.

We take our advice on vaccination policy from the national immunisation advisory committee and from NPHET. Notwithstanding people having antibodies I support that advice and I do not think that the evidence is strong enough not to vaccinate those who currently have antibodies. For example, the level of antibodies could differ where some could have a higher level of antibodies than others. The advice is to vaccinate.

Again, as has been outlined earlier, we want everybody over 70 to be vaccinated, so we are still predominantly dealing with those more senior in society in age terms, and for them to have a first dose by mid-April. Those with underlying conditions of all ages should be vaccinated as quickly as we possibly can. The HSE is operationally going through that fourth cohort, which is challenging in itself in identifying individuals via GPs, consultants and so forth.

On compulsory vaccination, there is no mandatory compulsion on people to vaccinate in the country. Within the health service I would argue that there are particular obligations in terms of collective solidarity and preventing the spread of the disease. We know from the last wave that the numbers of healthcare workers who got Covid-19 were very challenging, for example, in respect of the number of staff members working in nursing homes. Thankfully, with the vaccines the impact has been dramatic. The serial testing in nursing homes is indicating 0.3% which is very low. This is a very good vindication of the vaccines and their impact on reduced infection as well as reducing severely the incidence of mortality and this has likewise been the case in the hospital setting. For the overall good, we have to do everything we possibly can to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and to protect people within the hospital setting and the health setting more generally.

I fully respect religious worship and the right for people to attend services and the extent to which this is impacting on them but Covid-19 is the enemy here, not the Government.

The issue for the Taoiseach is not whether he respects public or private worship but is whether a Minister correctly informs the Dáil when he is bringing in legislation, which he specifically signed off on, which was not made by the Dáil but by the Minister. That is the issue. He specifically said that it was not a penal provision and that it would remain thus. Now the State is adopting a contrary position down in the courts and it is that that needs to be clarified.

Going back to my initial question, the Taoiseach is saying that notwithstanding what the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, ECDC, has said, what HIQA has said and what most scientists around the world agree upon, healthcare professionals who have had Covid-19 because of their work and have put themselves on the line, have recovered and have antibodies, have to take a vaccine to get antibodies that they already have or be fired at a time when we need them most. These are in circumstances where there are elderly and vulnerable people across this State crying out for that self-same vaccine, who have no immunity, and for whom Covid-19 poses a very significant threat.

I always defer to the clinical advice on this. The Deputy is aware of reports from Brazil on massive reinfection in parts of-----

And vaccine resistance.

It is mainly massive reinfection-----

And vaccine resistance.

----- from people who had felt that they would be protected-----

And vaccine resistance.

-----from antibodies. We cannot ignore that reality. I prefer the cautious approach and when we said we wanted to vaccinate healthcare workers, it was, incidentally, warmly received in hospitals and the relief there and in nursing homes was overwhelming and could be seen when people were vaccinated. I am not sure we are talking about a huge cohort of people here in any event.

There are the two issues: the compulsory issue and the issue on antibodies. I would err on the side of caution on the antibody question and defer to medical advice and vaccinate, particularly people working in healthcare and particularly in front-line healthcare settings. We are still learning about this virus, about its new variants, and so on.