Earlier, in defending our public service media, the Minister cited the fact that we live in a world full of misinformation, fallacies and conspiracy theories. In Europe right now, we have been experiencing a deeply disturbing, 45-fold increase in measles cases in the last couple of years, and we had 42,000 people infected in 2023 compared to 941 in 2022. A lot of that rise can be attributed to a dam-burst of misinformation about the MMR vaccine. The UK is undergoing what it is describing as a national incident and it has lost its measles-free status. Here in Ireland, there are concerns that we could also lose ours. Our vaccination rates stand at some 87% when they need to be at 95%. The UK is about to embark on a major public information campaign and we in Ireland urgently need to do the same.

I agree with the Deputy. To broaden it out, given it is a very fearful world and a lot of things are changing very fast in our world, there are understandable fears among our people. However, it tends to be supported by what I might call a nihilistic populist creed that tends to have certain key characteristics, particularly online. It does not believe in climate change, it is very anti-people coming to the country and it does not believe in vaccines, which is the strangest and weirdest of all because the science is indisputable and clear. The health benefits to people from trust in the vaccination systems, which are being regulated and checked properly, are fundamental to a modern health system. I agree with the Deputy that we need to counter that with an information campaign that addresses upfront these lies and conspiracies, particularly with regard to vaccines. I could not agree with the Deputy more.