Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as ucht bheith anseo déanach ar an Déardaoin chun déileáil leis an gceist seo. This is an issue I have raised on a number of occasions, that is, the attitude of the State towards the treatment of survivors of thalidomide. The Minister of State will be aware that thalidomide was a drug that was used in the early 1960s by women in relation to morning sickness but what is important is that it has a hugely adverse effect on their subsequent children.

We have fewer than 40 survivors of thalidomide in Ireland today. These are people who have lived throughout their lives with debilitating issues as a result of the fact that they survived thalidomide while their mothers were pregnant. I am conscious that this is a sensitive issue. I am also conscious that this is a sensitive time and I have been encouraged to withdraw this matter this evening for that reason. Let me say very clearly why I have not withdrawn it. First, there is a process under way, which is being led by the retired High Court judge, Mr. Justice Gilligan, a man for whom I have enormous respect, and I do not want in any way to interfere with that process. It is important that continues and that it is completed in whatever way he sees fit and to the conclusion that is appropriate. The openness and transparency that must come with that should never be interfered with. That is not really why I am raising this issue. I am raising this issue because this is an important anniversary.

This week marks the passage of one year since the leaders of the three parties in the previous Government wrote to the survivors of thalidomide and set out what I respectfully suggest was not, in fact, an apology or an acknowledgement, but really a communication in respect of some supports that have been put in place for them. It is also a number of weeks since Jacqui Browne, a fearless campaigner and an individual of great stock herself, passed away aged 64. She was a thalidomide survivor. As we move through this, I understand those who say that now is not the time to discuss it and that there is a process under way; I understand that. The difficulty I have is, if not now, when? This has been going on now for more than 60 years. The survivors themselves are in their mid to late 60s and more importantly, their mothers, most of whom have passed away, are obviously much older than that or are at an advanced age. In fact, I think there are probably only five of them still living, and some of them have passed away in the last year as well. Those women who took the drug thalidomide without any foresight or knowledge as to the effect it might have on the foetus of the infant they were carrying bore throughout their lives huge guilt with regard to what happened to their children in utero. It is desperately unfair on those women who took the drug, again, through no fault of their own and who bore that burden throughout their lives. Most of them have died. The glacial pace with which the State is actually addressing this problem is shameful. The process is under way, let it take its course, but the treatment of thalidomide survivors by allowing the matter to go on for as long as it has is a very poor reflection on the State and the liability the State has. I have been very clear on this; there was a failure by the State in the 1960s for a period of over six months to clearly indicate that this drug should be withdrawn from the market. The information was there; the action was not taken. I am not here to go into the liability issue of it. There is a case in being, although that in and of itself has been dragged on to the detriment of those people who are involved in the case. Really, what I want to raise this evening is how unacceptable it is that, unfortunately, once again, this State finds itself in a position where vulnerable people who have been disadvantaged and injured by the failure to act by this State are once again being treated really badly and appallingly. The time has come to take action and acknowledge that.

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