Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)

I will try not to, with the guidance of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

We have all met mothers whose children have been given the three-in-one vaccination, now called the five-in-one vaccination. They have at times expressed concern about the effects of the procedure. I do not know if there were negative effects because I am not an expert in that area. However, there are worrying factors which have not been clearly and conclusively proven one way or the other. A parent of a child being inoculated will be questioned about family medical history. The parent may not know the history of the extended family members, for instance, whether a relative has had emphysema. It could be that it is unadvisable for that child to be inoculated but this can happen. Parents will say their child was well until he or she was inoculated but this is not always as a result of the parent's desire for compensation because compensation does not address the outcome or the tragedy. I am not completely convinced that we have confronted that situation and that adequate information is made available to parents as to which vaccination should be taken, the three-in-one, two-in-one or five-in-one. Two children from the same family can have varying reactions to the same procedure and this is a cause for worry. Deputy Reilly and I soldiered together on a health board a long time ago and the argument arose on many occasions that in general, in the interests of wider public health, it was preferable to take the procedure because it prevented the spread of disease or a pandemic. I was dubious than and I am still dubious about that argument. This is an issue that needs to be examined over time and which Deputy Reilly will consider in the compilation of this Bill.

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