Ms Jacqui Browne:

We are all 60 years of age, give or take. There might be at most a straddle of three years. We will not be around an awful lot longer. The exposure for the State, in terms of costs, is not much in the big scheme of things. Where is the justice in terms of affording us some dignity and quality with the rest of our lives, considering, particularly in the past ten years, as Ms Cassidy highlighted, the ever and rapid decreasing physical capacity among many of our survivors? We may not be physically ill, but our physical abilities and physical strength, for example, is rapidly declining.

We need a lot more support, including, by the way, which we had not mentioned her - and it was remiss of me to forget to mention it - personal assistant, PA, supports. I know the committee will be well aware, because I am involved in another space, and, indeed, I have been at committee meetings here previously, of the area of personal assistance scheme. That needs to be legislated for. There is a good campaign, that the committee will be well aware of, working with the Independent Living Movement Ireland. If that is brought in, that would also be very much available to us as thalidomide survivors.

There are things that, like that, are creative, unique and flexible, for instance, a system such as a personal assistance scheme. Indeed, there was reference to Ms Elaine Dennehy having support here today to be at this meeting. A personal assistant would and should be equally available to somebody such as Ms Dennehy.

There are things that are universal solutions for all of us that we would love to see the committee pushing for on a legislative basis. They would be the main points. We must be allowed the choice. The UN convention clearly identifies choice, control and independence, especially, for us, when it comes to matters such as health assessing.

To address Deputy Tully's final question around the medical profession, the problem with the medical profession is they change. They go through GP training schemes and hospital training schemes. They are ever-changing these teams of doctors as they go through their training practices after basic medical training. You might have just educated a group of people in a hospital setting but you could be back six months later and have a whole other new group of people looking at you as if you had ten heads. I am very fortunate. Personally, I have a wonderful GP. Every year, because he is involved in the GP training scheme, he contacts me and asks me to come over and I do an education class with some of his trainees on site. I am involved in a way with the GP training scheme. Indeed, I have been invited to do more work with them in due course. In any event, there is awareness there but, because the numbers are so small and we are dotted right around the country, it would not be practical or possible for every medical professional to know everything about thalidomide because it is not that simple. Part of the training of any medical professional is about communication skills. Once they have the communication skills and once they have the capacity and the willingness to stop, listen and hear what we have to say, then we are on the right road.