James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Ms McGuinness can deal with the question on narcolepsy in more detail. It is not covered under this subhead, but proposals on how to deal with it are being put together for consideration by the Government. There is no question or doubt that people have suffered as a consequence of the vaccine which was given and taken in good faith.

That brings me to Deputy Denis Naughten's inquiry. This subhead keeps the issue open for possible future use. I have asked the Department to explore with the State Claims Agency the idea of addressing the issue of vaccination. As the Deputy knows, I share his strong views. Vaccines are given, taken and manufactured in good faith and problems arise in small numbers. Where they do, people should be looked after. It is not right or just that they should have to go to court and mortgage their homes to get services for their children. The State should provide. That is my personal opinion. This must be done in a way that is cost effective from the State's point of view and be discussed at Government level generally.

If we want to derive the maximum benefit from vaccination programmes, 95% of people must be vaccinated in order to protect us all. One of the great achievements of medicine in the past 200 years was the eradication of smallpox through vaccination. We rarely see a new case anymore, nor have I ever seen a case of tetanus in this country, although I saw one in Haiti while I was there. We want people to feel safe and be responsible, not just for the protection of their children but also of their broader communities. Where events occur that do not arise as a result of negligence, people should be looked after by the State. The question of how to do this is being explored with the State Claims Agency. I will revert with more details when I have them.