Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

I thank the Minister of State. I acknowledge the reason for the absence of the Minister for State, Deputy Naughton. I applaud her for acknowledging the massacre in Srebrenica.

I also understand what the Minister of State, Deputy Collins, said; I know he is reading a response on her behalf. The statement that the Government is committed to helping the survivors of thalidomide is all very well but the point I am making is it is taking too long. The process is there and the process is fine but what we have not had is a proper acknowledgement. We have not had a proper apology. We do not have cover. Talking about enhanced services for them is all very well but that is the very minimum we can do. These are people who were injured through the inaction of this State and that has never been acknowledged despite the letter that was written by my party leader, the Minister of State's party leader and the leader of the Green Party a year ago. That is not actually an acknowledgement of the fault of the State. It is not an apology. It is an apology for what they are going through, which states that the Government regrets the position they are in. I understand the restrictions that are there. I have been critical before of the manner in which the State has met the legal case against them.

That is one thing but there is a basic justice to this that has never been met. There is no apology, acknowledgment, full suite of treatment and no compensation. Those are all absent. If we are talking about the issue at the heart of this, which is the treatment of those people who through no fault of their own and through no fault of their parents find themselves massively disadvantaged, injured, disabled as a result of that drug and the inaction of this State, the very least we can do is those four things I pointed out: apologise; acknowledge; cover their medical needs; and compensate them for the injury caused to them. We would do it in any other situation but for some reason the State has dragged its heels. The fundamental crux of this is the treatment of those survivors of thalidomide is fundamentally wrong and shameful and is a stain on the recent history of this State that we cannot get over that and acknowledge the justice of the issue that has to be dealt with.

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