Ireland has joined the EU in suing AstraZeneca over its “complete failure” to meet its coronavirus vaccine delivery targets.

In the Dáil this afternoon, the Health Minister said the legal case was initiated by the European Commission and Ireland was on-board as one of the parties to it.

AstraZeneca delivered just one-third of the vaccine it promised in the first quarter of this year.

Under its contract the Anglo-Swedish company promised to deliver 180 million doses in the second quarter – around 1.8 million of which would have gone to Ireland.

The company now expects to deliver around 100 million doses in the first six month of the year.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said the legal action centres on its “complete failure” to deliver as promised.

“With regard to AstraZeneca, a legal case has been initiated by the Commission and earlier this week, I have joined Ireland as one of the parties to that legal case – specifically around AZ complete failure to meet its delivery contractual agreements for April, May and June,” he said.

It is the first time the legal action has been officially confirmed, although it has been under discussion at EU level for weeks.

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Reporting from Sean Defoe