Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 February 2022
77. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment further to Parliamentary Question No. to 159 of 9 December 2021, the status of his engagement at European Union and World Trade Organisation level with regard to the waiving of intellectual property rights in respect of Covid-19 vaccines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6824/22]
View answerUniversal and equitable access to vaccines is crucial in the global fight against COVID-19 and Governments in the Developed World must do more to ensure this.
The Government is a very strong supporter of vaccine equity in the world. Morally we need to make sure the world is vaccinated.
As the Deputy is aware, International Trade is a competence of the EU under the Treaties and in exercising that competence, the European Commission engages fully with the Member States, including Ireland, through a variety of Committees and Working Parties/Groups.
As part of the EU, we are very strong advocates of what is called compulsory licensing, which allows governments to license the production of vaccines on a generic basis, including without consent of the pharmaceutical companies. It could be very useful for countries which have vaccine-making capacity, to be allowed to license the production of those vaccines in the plants in their countries, irrespective of whether those companies give agreement.
The EU has been genuinely flexible and seeking to find a solution to make it easier for governments to allow third parties to manufacture COVID-19 pharmaceutical products. A TRIPS waiver, by itself, will not result in any new vaccine plants being built or made operational.
We have an open mind on the alternative suggestion of a TRIPS waiver. We have always said that if we receive a WTO proposal in writing, we will look at it. That has not happened yet.
Discussions are ongoing in the WTO to find a common understanding among Members on how the WTO can contribute to an effective response to any pandemic, not just the current one.
The challenges have changed since the waiver proposal was first put forward over a year ago, with fair distribution of vaccines, diversifying production across the regions, and vaccine hesitancy among populations now cited as being among the main obstacles to getting the world vaccinated. The focus is also shifting from vaccines production to administering vaccinations and how strengthening health systems and their preparedness is pivotal in the achievement of the 70% vaccination target by mid-2022.
What is needed is capacity, know-how, qualified scientists and technicians, capital, and experienced medicine and safety regulators. All those things are needed to get the vaccine from the lab into people's arms. We need a global solution that is comprehensive, intelligent, workable and that does not disincentivise innovation.
The WHO recently stated that it sees a very positive outlook for supply of vaccines for 2022, that this is predicated on the continuation of dose sharing and manufacturers honouring deals brokered under COVAX, and that unequal distribution, rather than supply, could compromise global access to vaccines.
Ireland has committed to donate up to 5 million COVID-19 vaccines. To date, a total of 2.9 million have been accepted as donations and of these over 1.3m have been delivered to countries including Uganda, Nigeria, Indonesia and Ghana. In addition, Ireland has committed €13.5 million in financing to COVAX facility to facilitate the purchase of vaccines by low and lower middle-income countries and to cover the ancillary costs associated with vaccine donations.
The EU has been the leading exporter of vaccines; out of a total of 3.5 billion doses produced, the EU has exported over 1.7 billion doses to 165 countries. Team Europe has contributed €3 billion in financial support to the COVAX programme and is on target to donate 700 million doses by mid-2022. It is also investing €1 billion to ramp up mRNA production capacity in Africa.
The Irish Government is a strong supporter of vaccine equity and has pledged to do all it can to ensure that there is universal and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines worldwide. Furthermore, it will continue to work with those countries who have yet to build the infrastructure needed to rollout a vaccine programme. The Government will do this through aid programmes that help with refrigeration, distribution, and administration, and all these elements are necessary for the rollout of successful vaccination programmes around the world. This includes supporting the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Global Vaccine Alliance and the Global Fund, to develop, produce and equitably distribute effective technologies in the COVID-19 global response.
