Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I noted what the Australian Government did, and I know the Australian Government has a scheme in place to provide additional compensation to thalidomide survivors in addition to the compensation that they currently receive. This Government would be very happy to match what the Australian Government has done, both in terms of an apology and also in terms of a compensation scheme. Unfortunately, we are not there yet. I would like to do it but we are not there yet. The indication I have is that if we did exactly what Australia did, quite a number of the survivors would not accept it, it would be rejected and they would have legal cases against the State, which is unfortunate.

Not everyone says the same. There are different groups representing different survivors of thalidomide. There are different solicitors and individuals involved. However, I am happy to state the basic principle that we would be happy to match what the Australian Government has done as regards an apology and a scheme but only if it is acceptable to the survivors.

See this speech in context