Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his response and acknowledge the Government and the Minister are committed to resolving this matter. I raise it because we have reached a significant point in the issue's development on foot of the decision made by the Irish Thalidomide Association to initiate individual actions. I urge the Government to do all it can to render unnecessary this action. My concern is one must be careful regarding language such as, for example, a financial gesture of goodwill. While I understand the reason one might choose such language, these people genuinely deserve, on a moral level, far more than a gesture of goodwill from the State. I urge the Government to do all it can to ensure the commitment contained in the programme for Government is delivered in an imaginative and creative manner because having met people who deal with this issue in their day-to-day lives, I believe they do not consider this to be the case, which is the reason they have taken the individual actions. I urge the Government to do all it can to ensure their fears are not met and that it responds to them in the manner I believe it should.

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