Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Does the Minister of State believe he and the military authorities are acting undemocratically given that the Dáil, with the exception of the Fine Gael Party, passed a motion instructing him to take action to help alleviate and address the suffering of those who have had an adverse effect because Lariam was issued to them while overseas? A "yes" or "no" response will suffice.

The Minister of State referenced medical experts in his reply. On 30 September 1989 the World Health Organization warned that the new anti-malaria drug Mefloquine, which is Lariam, may cause severe mental disturbance and other psychiatric or neurological side effects and that airline pilots and others whose jobs involve fine co-ordination and spatial discrimination should not use Mefloquine to prevent malaria. It went on to say that there were reports of 300 of several thousand patients having experienced neurological and psychiatric side effects associated with the drug. That was stated by the WHO in 1989. I have been raising the issue in this House since 2010. The Minister of State has continued to allow the military authorities to use a drug which is no longer for sale in this State and has been withdrawn by many other military authorities throughout the world.

See this speech in context