Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for selecting this matter and welcome the fact that a female Minister of State is present. I hope she will speak with her Cabinet and Government colleagues on this issue, which relates to women. A number of women have found themselves in a situation that goes back to the hepatitis case, women who have all the symptoms of hepatitis but have not been diagnosed.

What happened in the first instance was scandalous. Let us not have a second scandal. Very few women, perhaps 100 or fewer, are affected. I know some of them myself and it is sad to see the way in which they and their families have suffered and how they have been treated by the State, which has created a great injustice for them. Many people are still walking free in this country and I hope the courts will one day deal with those who have upset so many families in respect of hepatitis.

The Government has held a number of meetings with Positive Action and I hope it will concede to the people who have been affected by the green card — the Health (Amendment) Act 2005 card — which would entitle those women to free health services, drugs, pharmacy services, home help and other specialised services they need and will need in future. I call on the Government to give the card to these women as a gesture. Simply due to the fact that it does not show in a test — they have all the symptoms — they should not need to fight any more. Many of them are currently fighting for their lives due to what has happened to them. Give them that small bit of back up, that small bit of help. There was never as much money or resources in the State. This would mean much for 100 or fewer women.

The Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, is a woman and has met these groups. I hope she will take the correct decision, not next year but now. They want it now. It is not an issue I like bringing up but is one that must be raised. These women have no one to speak for them as they comprise such a small group. The Government must end this matter immediately. The women are entitled to what they are looking for.

It is saddening when such people come and talk to one. I know some of them as they are my neighbours and I have seen how some women have suffered, how their health seems to have worsened over the years. I hope the Government will make the correct decision quickly. I hope we do not have the situation that occurred before, where people had to fight for their rights and fight for their lives. If fewer than 100 women are affected by this the Government should immediately give them the blue card and whatever else is needed to deal with their health problems. I hope this will be done quickly as it is wrong that such women must have meetings with the Minister for Health and Children. These women have suffered enough and this problem was not created by them. Rather, it was created by this State yet nobody has paid the price for it. I hope the people who created the problem for women will suffer because some women in this country have lost their lives.

I hope the Minister can provide a positive response as this is an emotive issue and we do not wish to play politics with it. This matter concerns women's health and lives and the effect on many families in the State. I call on the Minister for Health and Children to put the resources and money in place and provide these people with the blue card. They would prefer to have their health but that was taken from them by the State and I call on the State to do what is right for these women.

Síle de Valera (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. The Tánaiste has asked me to inform the House that the Department of Health and Children has regular contact with the group referred to by the Deputy. The Tánaiste has had one meeting with them, in February 2005, at which this issue was discussed.

The services referred to by Deputy Ring are provided under the Health (Amendment) Act 1996. A decision regarding the entitlement of an individual to services under the 1996 Act rests with the chief officer of the Health Service Executive. Eligible persons are given a Health (Amendment) Act card, sometimes referred to as a blue card. Eligible persons are persons who, in the opinion of the chief officer, have contracted hepatitis C directly or indirectly from the use of anti-D, or the administration of blood or blood products within the State. Eligibility is determined on an individual basis, and applies for the lifetime of the eligible person. An application for services is made on a standard form available from one of the hepatitis C liaison officers in each Health Service Executive region.

The guidelines for establishment of eligibility have been set out by the Department of Health and Children, in accordance with the recommendations of the expert group on hepatitis C. Membership of the expert group includes the group referred to by Deputy Ring.

To establish eligibility the following conditions need to be met: proof of a positive hepatitis C test result, including at a minimum, a positive ELISA, antibody, test result; and proof that the infection resulted from blood or blood products administered within the State.

The issue of an extension of the Health (Amendment) Act 1996 to provide free health care for the cohort of patients referred to by the Deputy has been carefully examined and advice taken from a number of relevant sources. The exact number of women affected is not known. While the Tánaiste is sympathetic to the patients in question, she cannot support an extension to the current eligibility requirements. This position was signalled to the group at her meeting with them in February 2005. Following further analysis of the matter the Tánaiste confirmed her decision to the group in September 2005.