John O'Mahony (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to make a contribution to the debate on the reversal of a decision announced last August by the Minister, Deputy Harney. I commend Deputy James Reilly and the Fine Gael Party for proposing the motion. The latest announcement by the Minister is another ill thought out measure in a budget in which figures seem to be more important than people, especially the old, the young and the disabled.

If one considers the decision on economic grounds alone and if one is to be ruthless, uncaring and to think only about money, it is still a bad decision. The estimated €9.7 million cost of the scheme is only a drop in the ocean of the total health budget and will not save money in the long term. Prevention is better than cure. Money spent on prevention will save multiples of the same amount later on in the cost of treatment. If this decision proceeds the Government is being penny wise and pound foolish. Ireland is the only country in western Europe where the number of deaths from cervical cancer continues to rise. To put the decision in perspective, the amount of money involved is less than the cost of building a couple of kilometres of motorway per annum. It just does not make sense. Some 31,000 12 year old girls have lost the secure feeling that cervical cancer is off the agenda for them in years to come.

The Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, stated that this treatment, announced by the Minister in August, was cost effective, that it would in due course prevent more than 50 deaths per annum and it would prevent thousands from developing pre-cancerous cells. HIQA, a State agency, does not agree with the Minister's decision from last week. While travelling in the car last Friday, I listened to the comments of Deputy McDaid from the Government side of the House. He is vehemently opposed to the decision made by the Minister and to the reversal of the announcement in August. Deputy McDaid suggested some of these children might have a case for suing the State in future years.

The chance of a person dying from cervical cancer can be significantly reduced by this drug. Cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, and this is especially the case in Ireland where the figures are double those of other member states of the European Union. Will the Minister reconsider the decision?

Last August, when this decision was announced, the Minister, Deputy Harney, knew that the economy was in free-fall, as did everyone else in the Government and the House. How can the Minister suggest that the money would have been available last August if it is not available now, some two months later? This confirms that many of the decisions in the budget were not thought out. It would be a different matter if the original announcement was one year ago and the Minister could claim the situation had changed, but this is not the case. The announcement was made when the Minister knew that money was scarce. I urge her to reverse this decision.

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