Frances Fitzgerald calls for a dedicated Cabinet minister for vaccinations

MEP Frances Fitzgerald has called for a dedicated Cabinet minister for vaccinations. Picture: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

MEP Frances Fitzgerald has called for a dedicated Cabinet minister for vaccinations.

The former justice minister has said the rollout of the Covid vaccines should not be handled by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly and believes a second minister should be appointed to deal with this.

Ms Fitzgerald said: 

My own view is that it would be good to have a senior minister leading on the vaccination programme along with the health minister, I felt that from the beginning because I think it's a different logistical kind of challenge."

She said there were currently "huge demands on frontline staff and hospitals, and my worry is that if we don't deal with the information deficit that's out there at the moment in relation to the role of GPs, pharmacies, etc, that it will be filled by fake news".

Another excellent webinar from @iiea this Friday morning with Emer Cooke, Executive Director of @EMA_News on #COVID19 & an update on the EMA #Vaccine approval process 🇪🇺

Great to see an Irish woman in this important position 🇮🇪 pic.twitter.com/j8hgKHxKXZ

— Frances Fitzgerald (@FitzgeraldFrncs) January 15, 2021

Speaking at a European Parliament pre-plenary briefing, Ms Fitzgerald warned that a website had already been set up claiming to tell people when they will get their vaccine.

"People think it's giving the proper data and it's a fake news site," she said.

She said the more accurate information that is provided, the more confidence the public will have, adding that people need to be given answers to the questions they have.

.@alankellylabour has called again for a 'Minister for Vaccines' to be appointed to oversee the programme roll-out in Ireland. #OnTheRecordNT https://t.co/yxb0S328AR

— NewstalkFM (@NewstalkFM) January 10, 2021

Turning to the appointment of a dedicated vaccine minister, she said: "I just think that we need political leadership on it and we need that sort of data coming through.

"I think it's very hard to do it at the same time as you are dealing with, you know, the emergency.

"I think there's a personnel issue here as far as I can see."

She said Ireland is "very good" at vaccinations and pointed to the fact that more than a million flu jabs were given by doctors and pharmacists last year.