Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I must first acknowledge that the procedure over the years in this country has been far better than it was in the United States of America where the drug was widely prescribed and that the screening adopted by the military authorities in this country is one that I acknowledge has been particularly effective. If the Minister believes there is not a growing controversy on the issue then he is once again denying reality and he is not aware of what is happening around him because it is a simple statement of fact.

The Minister indicated that the expert report concurs with the practices followed by the Defence Forces in prescribing lariam to date. Could he indicate whether the report recommends that the Department of Defence continues to prescribe lariam as heretofore? The report might well be accessible by way of discovery in the event of legal action being taken. A number of cases are before the courts currently. Given that in the event of legal action the report would have to be made available, why does the Minister not publish it now and let us see what it contains so as to clear up any concerns?

See this speech in context