Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would not want to give anybody the impression that I was misleading the Dáil. My words may not have been entirely accurate. I had been speaking with the Minister for Health and as I understood it the discussions that had taken place had been progressive. I take the point that senior officials from the Department of Health and not the Minister met with both the Irish Thalidomide Association and the Irish Thalidomide Survivors Society - there are two groups representing the 32 survivors.

The German foundation is set to increase substantially by between 150% and 500% its monthly payments to thalidomide survivors, including Irish survivors, with effect from 1 August 2013, backdated to 1 January 2013. This State does not wish to take any action which would have the effect of jeopardising current or future payments to Irish survivors by the German foundation and, as such, the Department has requested the State Claims Agency to meet with the German Ministry and report back in regard to the implications of the issue that was raised concerning the application of German law to the payments made to Irish survivors of thalidomide. Both thalidomide organisations will be kept informed of the developments here. The Minister is obviously interested in this If I inadvertently gave the impression that he had been meeting with the associations, clearly, it was senior officials from his Department who met them, and I correct my words in that regard.

See this speech in context