Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses and attendees today and thank them for their testimonies. I can only speak for myself. I have no medical, scientific or clinical expertise but I think it is important that we provide a forum where the witnesses can present their case and outline their concerns about the Gardasil vaccine. Equally, we have an obligation as a committee to question and hold to account State agencies that work on behalf of the people in terms of oversight, and to ensure that there is strong oversight of vaccines and observation of any potential adverse effects. The testimonies presented today were very powerful and moving, and create huge anxiety and concern. At the same time, we have an obligation to ensure that we have vaccination programmes in place that protect the health of our people. We have agencies in place to oversee the vaccination programme but also to monitor any potential adverse effects.

In the context of the experiences of the parents and Ms Smyth, they felt the information provided in the patient information leaflet was not sufficient. That is a small part of the bigger issue they are facing now. In their interaction with the health services, from general practitioners to the HSE to the Department of Health, was there any understanding of their concerns due to their belief that Gardasil was the reason for the adverse effects on their daughters? Having met with individuals and, collectively, with REGRET, I have detected that there was no clear understanding of their concerns. That may not be the case for every person who has interacted with the general practitioner services and the HSE in general. When the parents explained their concerns, was any effort made to interact with them beyond what would take place in the context of an ordinary illness?

Japan and Denmark would certainly be first world countries and they have suspended the vaccination programme. I would point this out to the various officials who are here today and ask if they have considered why those countries have done so. On the broader issue of the vaccine itself, I know the European Medicines Agency carried out a review of it recently. Can the officials tell me if that was just a standard review, or if it came out of concerns about the vaccine and potential adverse effects?

We now have 130 people who feel their children suffered adverse effects because of the Gardasil vaccine. Is there any centralised monitoring system in place whereby there is an obligation to report to some agency in the State in order to collate information and data? We would be all failing in our duties if we did not have at least some system in place to monitor that nationally. There should be some centralised way of collating all that information so that we could at least be able to observe trends on a national basis. That might lead us to revisit the whole issue of the Gardasil vaccination programme.

As I do not have any scientific evidence, I cannot say it is the wrong way to go, but equally I believe it is critically important that the witnesses' voices are listened to. We must ensure that information is provided to parents in a way that is legible and understanding and that informs them of the full potentials of the risks around the vaccination programme. In the broader context, perhaps we could have a view as to what the Departments of Health and Social Protection and the HSE are doing to assist families who are finding themselves with these conditions, whether or not we can establish that Gardasil is the cause. I do not have the expertise in that area but there is surely an obligation on the State to ensure every effort is made to assist families that are going through this.