I congratulate the Minister, Deputy McEntee.

I heard some of the Tánaiste's responses in which he referred to the division in opinion on the efficacy of rapid testing. Does he agree that there is also an even sharper difference in opinion on the whole notion of a vaccine passport, or an immunity certificate as it is being called? Does he not agree that the introduction of such a system would in effect create a two-tiered society where people who could not take the vaccine for any number of a variety of reasons would be the new underclass and be excluded from significant areas of public life? Does he not agree that this would constitute blatant medical apartheid? In the event of the introduction of such a system, what will be the position on people's right to worship? Are the clergy of any denomination expected to turn away people who want to exercise their right to worship on the basis that they have not been vaccinated?

This is a fraught area and it requires some discussion, including perhaps in this House. Using vaccine passports or vaccine green passes could have the benefit of allowing us to open up our society more quickly and allow more people to return to work and businesses to open. On the down side, it would create a division in our society between people who are vaccinated and people who choose not to be or cannot be vaccinated. These issues have to be teased out. If this were a temporary measure for a few months while we got a chance to be vaccinated, the majority of us would not begrudge those who were vaccinated additional freedoms or begrudge the opportunity for businesses to reopen or people to return to work. However, no one would like to see it becoming a new feature of society in the medium or long term. At the moment, the Government has no proposals to do any of this. The reopening of businesses that the House will hear about today will not be contingent on people being vaccinated but there will be a vaccine bonus for people meeting up privately.