Sinn Féin spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Defence, John Brady TD, today added his voice to that of President Higgins, who described the decision by the US administration of President Joe Biden to add their support to the TRIPS waiver as one of ‘immense moral significance’.

Teachta Brady said:

“We can only applaud the decision of the Biden administration to add their support to calls for the TRIPS waiver.

“It is gone past time for the Irish Government to add their support for this initiative. While the Taoiseach has been lamenting what he terms the ‘many simplistic conclusions drawn’ on the issue, others have acted in the wider interests of humanity.

“The reality is that Ireland sought and secured election to the United Nations Security Council on the pretext of offering a voice of advocacy for the developing nations of the world.

“And while the Taoiseach claims Ireland has offered moral leadership on the issue of global vaccinations, we have in reality received little but platitude from this coalition government.

“We are in the midst of a deadly global pandemic. We have a virus which is continually mutating, with the potential to develop new strains impervious to the vaccines developed to date, unless there is a concerted international effort to ensure that there is a worldwide vaccination programme, which is delivered in as short a time frame as possible.

“Access to life giving healthcare should be determined by need not wealth. Ireland, the EU and the rest of the international community must follow the example set by President Biden and support the waiver of intellectual property protections on Covid-19 vaccines.”