Micheál Martin says it's important to wait for a coronavirus vaccination to be approved - and that we shouldn't put unnecessary 'pressure' on regulators to speed up the process.
He said December 29th is the 'latest' EU regulators will assess the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine for use, and it could be earlier.
While British authorities this morning announced they'd approved the vaccine for use, the European Medicines Agency will decide whether to give the green light for its use across the EU after assessing if it's safe and effective.
Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath earlier said we're looking at a 'matter of weeks' before a decision is made.
Speaking in the Dáil today, Mr Martin said "we shouldn’t in any way create a pressure zone on the regulatory authority" ahead of their emergency meeting later this month.
He noted that meeting is scheduled for the 29th, but could be moved forward if necessary - while a meeting about a second vaccine from Moderna is tentatively scheduled for early January.
The Taoiseach said planning for a vaccine rollout in Ireland is continuing 'at pace' in the meantime, with a special taskforce of experts set to report to Government on December 11th.
He said: "Yesterday delivery was taken of up to nine ultra low [temperature] fridges… the trucks are being stored at Citywest.
“Logistics… are being worked on. The IT infrastructure… an entire database will have to be created in terms of who gets what.
"The workforce that administers the vaccine… that’s being worked on. Because of the scale of this, it will be more than just the normal workforce that would administer a vaccines."
He said authorities also need to work out the sequence of who gets the vaccine first, as well as develop a communications plan around the vaccine programme.
Amid calls for a dedicated minister to be appointed to specifically oversee the vaccination programme, Mr Martin said he'd prefer to let the taskforce get on with their work for now.
He said: “It’s easy to nominate a name and put someone in charge… but who would not necessarily have the accountability or authorisation over officials or agencies… that’s an issue that would have to be sorted.”
