Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the members of various groups who are in the House. I also thank Members from all parties, especially those who have committed in advance to supporting the motion. It is a great encouragement to the women and men of the Defence Forces who have been affected by this scandal to now see such support for measures to cease the administration of Lariam and to deal with the problems faced by many who were administered it while serving their country. We all know that Lariam was given to members of the Defence Forces when serving in sub-Saharan Africa. The problem is that the drug was supposed to protect against serious illness but has ended up causing serious illness. We all know about the psychotic breakdowns, suicidal ideation and other side effects. I could spend an hour and a half listing them out. The side effects have led to tragic circumstances and deep suffering for members of the families of those affected, the survivors and spouses.

The Minister of State said that this is not a political decision, rather it is a medical decision. I am surprised by that because the manufacturers of the drug told the Government not to give Lariam to soldiers. One could not write it. It is now 20 years later. I cannot believe it. The Minister of State also mentioned experts. The survivors and their partners and those suffering from the side effects of Lariam are the real experts. They are the people to whom we should be listening. More than 4,500 soldiers were given this drug by the Defence Forces without any comprehensive screening. I spoke to many soldiers who can tell what happened. A former Deputy referred to Dr. Remington Nevin who described Lariam as a "horror movie in a pill". I would go so far as to say it is a horror reality in a pill for the people I heard today.

We all know that the US military discontinued the use of Lariam and the US Food and Drug Administration launched a full neurological review of the medicine. As early as 1996, the Irish Medicines Board highlighted the risk of the side effects of the drug in a safety newsletter. What was done? Nothing. It was a case of pushing it under the carpet, again. We are getting very good at sweeping in this country. The Government and the Defence Forces did nothing to protect military personnel from the serious side effects of Lariam. The administration of Lariam as a drug of first choice by the Defence Forces must end immediately.

I wish to refer to other issues affecting the mental health of members of the Defence Forces. We are very quick in this House to laud the work of those women and men when it comes to their heroics in peacekeeping missions around the world. This is rightly so, but we must do right by them as they have done right by the nation. Currently, many Defence Forces personnel are living from week to week and hand to mouth because of the disgustingly paltry rates of pay for ordinary soldiers. New entrants earn just €200 a week, and that increases to €350 a week in their second year. The wages do not increase much more after that. It is impossible in the long term for a person to feed, clothe and house a family on such wages. In 2003, a total of 49 people in the Defence Forces were in receipt of family income supplement and by 2016 the number had risen to 124.

I commend the families of Defence Forces members who have been campaigning hard on this issue. Often it appears that the Government has no interest in listening. Shelley Cotter of the Wives and Partners of the Defence Forces, and all its members deserve a very honourable mention in this House tonight. Hopefully, we will soon see members of the Defence Forces being allowed the proper rights of workers, namely, the right to argue for better pay and conditions, but until then the Government should step up.

Today, unfortunately, there was a need to launch another campaign of fund-raising for veterans of the Defence Forces who became homeless in 2017. One can hardly say it is a surprise when soldiers are treated so poorly and we have such a catastrophic homelessness crisis in this State which still rages on. I appeal to all Members in this House to please show a bit of compassion and to support this motion.

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