Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I apologise in advance because I was jotting down my questions as I went along and they might jump about a bit. My questions are for all the witnesses. I thank them for coming in and for their evidence.

The first question is on the low uptake of vaccinations among health professionals. Does anyone have a view on it? It would not exactly fill one with confidence if the person who is telling one that it is a good idea to be vaccinated is also part of a group offered vaccinations and not taking them up.

On the six-in-one vaccination, I have had representations from a constituent advising that in that person's opinion, this is better if taken individually rather than together. I see a nod from a witness and understand that it is known where that is coming from. In the interests of furthering our discussion on it, do the witnesses have any comment on whether there are any known benefits of breaking this into six individual vaccinations?

On the HPV vaccine, I had some very small and tangential involvement in this as a union official when it was being rolled out. We were in the Labour Relations Commission, LRC, at the time. It is the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, now. There seemed to be a frantic rush to bring in this scheme, to the extent that we got approval in the early hours of the morning for self-certification for Garda clearance to be used. A particular group - teenage girls - is being dealt with. Garda clearance is necessary and appropriate. There was not enough time for Garda clearance for the doctors and public health nurses that were going to be rolling out the vaccine between when we in the LRC - I think Dr. Kelleher was there - and the roll-out of the programme in September. The HSE and Department of Health received clearance to allow the programme to go ahead on a self-certified basis. I could not understand at that time what the rush was. It was explained to us with regard to the shelf-life of the medicine itself. It was never effectively explained to us. I would be interested to know if it has improved from self-certification and if Garda clearance is now the norm.

A patient information leaflet is provided. My daughter would have received it in school, going back a number of years. Parents are given a small consent form. My understanding is that a much broader leaflet is available. Parents have a right to know but may not necessarily know that further information is available other than that which they get from the school. Can more be done, given the fact that there is a drop in the uptake rates, to give parents the information that they need? If I am asked, I take a very simple view. I advise people to go to their doctor, to talk to any health professional that they need to to put their mind at rest and to make their own decision. I would not seek to advise anyone. I am not a doctor. I appreciate that I am in a room full of doctors, but I am not one. I wonder if there is more information that can perhaps be made available to parents in advance. The new school term starts in September.

My final question is for Dr. Butler. She mentioned that the adverse incidents - I do not think she used the words "adverse incidents" and do not want to put words in her mouth - are investigated and acknowledged where issues arise.

The witness says surveillance takes place, but how is that done? Do clinicians wait for people to come to them with a problem or do follow-up questionnaires go to parents or through the school? When the witnesses say there is surveillance, investigation and follow-up, how do they find the people? Do they come or do the witnesses go to them?