Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

I talked about Britain. We are talking about sub-Saharan Africa. That is where we are talking about. The Irish Defence Forces' policy is to prefer Lariam. I am only talking about sub-Saharan Africa. The United States army does not have that policy and it is not the case that Lariam is the most suitable drug for that area. That is the Minister's stated policy and it is against best practice. The people who met the Minister want to know why that is the policy, given that the manufacturers of Lariam themselves say that it should only be taken after very serious analysis of a person's predisposition or with a very clear warning. That is the only circumstance in which it is allowed in the rare examples in America. Why do we have a different view of that process in Ireland? We are exposing people to danger because it is not just about whether people have a predisposition or prior problems. The Minister cannot say with certainty that there has been an individual assessment of every member of the Defence Forces who was given Lariam and that is the only basis upon which the manufacturer says it should be given because of the undisputed dangers linked with that problem. I hear what the Minister is saying, that he does not have a fixed view, but we have been hearing that and meanwhile Lariam continues to be prescribed, albeit in smaller doses. I will come back to the Minister with a question on that.

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