Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I acknowledge the Deputy’s very long-standing work on this issue. My Department and the HSE work continuously to monitor and improve patient safety and reduce incidents of harm. The Government recently approved the establishment of an interdepartmental working group to examine the rising cost of health-related claims and consider mechanisms to reduce costs. The group will examine the rising cost of clinical negligence claims in the health system with a particular focus on high-value claims, many of which relate to obstetrics, and identify measures that could be put in place to reduce future costs and more importantly, reduce harm to patients and minimise adverse incidents. The group is chaired independently, which is very important, by an expert healthcare professional, Dr. Rhona Mahony, and its membership is taken from across key Departments and agencies.

With regard to vaccination, patients concerned with a possible side effect or adverse reaction following a vaccination should, in the first instance, consult with their medical practitioner who can refer them as necessary to appropriate services following clinical assessment.

It should also be noted that vaccines can only be approved and used if they comply with all the requirements of quality, safety and efficacy set out in relevant EU pharmaceutical legislation. Any authorised vaccine will be subject to ongoing monitoring in Ireland by the Health Products Regulatory Authority, HPRA. The latest safety updates from the HPRA regarding Covid-19 vaccinations are available on the authority's website.

Regarding a vaccine damage compensation scheme, during the pandemic, all available Department of Health resources were devoted to the public health response. This has meant that work the Deputy is rightly calling for could not be progressed. It had been planned to progress it but it was not progressed. Further scoping work is required to pull the group together and to move this forward again as we must.

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