Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter, to which I will respond on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children.

Exposure to thalidomide has had a huge impact on people's lives. I am conscious of the fact that thalidomide has affected and continues to affect the lives of a number of people, their families and friends. I have a good friend who is a victim of thalidomide who has had a wonderful academic and professional career and is also making an enormous contribution to the local community through music and involvement with choirs in Thurles.

The Department of Health and Children is considering applications from a number of individuals claiming exposure to thalidomide and requesting compensation for that exposure. It is the intention of the Department to write to each individual in the near future indicating whether he or she is being referred for specialist medical assessment. This decision is being based on the specialist medical evidence provided by each individual.

The Deputy will understand that, in view of the passage of time since the original scheme of compensation for the victims of thalidomide, the Department of Health and Children has had to carry out an extensive examination of documentation to obtain background information on the individuals and assess the most appropriate way to consider the applications. The Department is conscious of the need to progress this matter and is taking all appropriate actions to move this matter along.

The United Kingdom Thalidomide Trust has indicated that current practice worldwide is that acceptance of determining if disabilities are related to thalidomide relies on medical examination of the applicant and that medics have stopped trying to establish whether a mother took thalidomide as this was proving impossible to verify, given the time lapse.

The Department of Health and Children will use the services of an independent international medical examiner to carry out a medical assessment of the cases that provide corroborated specialist medical evidence indicating foetal exposure to thalidomide. It is the intention of the Department to make the necessary arrangements with individuals for the medical assessment by the international expert to take place early in the new year. I believe that answers the question the Deputy raised. The remainder of the script is background information on the issue for the Deputy.

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