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Dáil
‹ Ceisteanna ar Reachtaíocht a Gealladh - Questions on Promised Legislation

Vaccination rollout and apology row

Summary

Deputy Doherty challenged the Tánaiste over housing and then asked about NIAC vaccine advice not being reflected in modelling. The Tánaiste responded with a workplace-bullying rebuke before saying revised vaccine-rollout information would be available in a few days.

I have a bit of advice for the Tánaiste. Instead of offering apologies on my behalf in a patronising way, maybe he would consider an apology to the tens of thousands of people locked out of the housing market after his Government of ten years, or to the hundreds of thousands paying eye-watering rent as a result of his policy.

I will focus on what the Chief Medical Officer said yesterday in confirming that the national immunisation advisory committee, NIAC, advice on changes to the vaccine roll-out for younger people was not factored into NPHET's modelling. It is reported the Taoiseach advised the Cabinet that this was factored into the modelling when the Cabinet was making the decision. Can the Tánaiste confirm which one it is?

The key ingredient to reopening society is an accelerated vaccine roll-out and we need to see a plan. When will we see the new modelling which builds on the NIAC recommendations? When we will get sight of the revised timelines and targets for the vaccine roll-out? This is a race between the variants and the vaccine roll-out but one would think, looking at the Government response, that it is a bicycle race. There was no contingency planning. When will we see these plans?

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Leo Varadkar The Tánaiste Fine Gael

It is a matter of opinion but my opinion is that nobody should be shouted at, shouted down or shouted over in their workplace. It constitutes workplace bullying in pretty much any other scenario and when the Deputy does it, he should apologise for it. Perhaps he does not think so and perhaps the Leas-Cheann Comhairle does not think so but I do. The standards we uphold in this House are what people follow and if the Deputy behaves in the way he does in a workplace, he sends a signal to other people that it is okay for them to behave in that way. I do not think he should do that and we will come back to this another time.

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I reject that.

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Leo Varadkar The Tánaiste Fine Gael

In relation to the Deputy's question, which I am trying to answer as he interrupts me again, we will have information on the revised roll-out of the vaccine programme in the next couple of days. That work is being done by the HSE at the moment.

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