The US now supports the waiver on intellectual property rights for the Covid-19 vaccine and will negotiate at the upcoming WTO negotiations on that basis. A global waiver on the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, TRIPS, is necessary if we are to fight Covid on a global basis and vaccinate the global community. Our President, Michael D. Higgins, has hailed the moved by President Biden as "a moment of ... moral significance". Will the Tánaiste commit to the Government now actively supporting the intellectual property waiver at an EU level and confirm the EU should now also follow the US?

As the Deputy will be aware, this matter is an EU competence. Ireland does not have a seat at the WTO. We are represented by the EU. There are no Covid vaccines made or developed in Ireland and, to my knowledge, the intellectual property is not held here. The statement by Ms Katherine Tai, the US Trade Representative, and the decision of the US Administration is very significant and should cause the EU and other developed countries to reassess their position.

The Covid pandemic is raging around the world. We are seeing record cases every day. To get it under control, we need to get it under control everywhere through vaccination, as we did with polio, smallpox and other viruses. If we do not, we risk reimportation into this country and variants. Our strong view is that Covid-19 vaccines global access, COVAX, is the best way to do this. It is an international partnership which we are part of. A TRIPS waiver is definitely an option but there are difficulties with it also. Few countries in the global south have the infrastructure and know-how or materials to make those vaccines and there is no point in giving somebody a recipe if he or she does not have the kitchen, the cooking skills or the ingredients. We want to take actions that do good, not just actions that look good or make us feel good, and we think the best way to do that-----

Does the Tánaiste believe the US is doing this to look good?

-----is to involve the pharmaceutical companies, scientists and universities in a solution that will allow more vaccines to be made, and particularly in the global south.