Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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5. To ask the Minister for Defence if he will reconsider his decision not to publish a report on the use of the controversial anti-malarial drug Lariam. [46847/13]

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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This question is with regard to the working group established in January 2011, which has apparently reported to the Minister, and why the Minister has not published the report. I am asking the Minister to reconsider this position.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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This is an issue that the Deputy has raised with me previously. Having regard to current and potential litigation, the Department established a working group in January 2011 to examine the use of Lariam and other anti-malarial drugs in the Defence Forces. The group comprises representatives of the Defence Forces Medical Corps, the Defence Forces personnel policy branch and the Defence Forces human resources and litigation branch. The group also includes representatives from the State Claims Agency and the Chief State Solicitor's Office. The purpose of the group was to review issues arising in relation to the use of Lariam, particularly in the context of the current and potential litigation; to review and confirm the approach of the Defence Forces in relation to the use of malaria chemoprophylaxis in the Defence Forces; and to ensure that the procedures in relation thereto continue to be appropriate and in accordance with best medical practice as promulgated by the relevant medical authorities. The work of the group informs the defence organisation’s process of ongoing risk assessment and mitigation in the context of a proactive risk management strategy.

The group reported back to me in June this year. The report was produced in the context of current and potential litigation and is, therefore, legally privileged. I can confirm that the group investigated all the various allegations surrounding the use of Lariam and obtained advice from leading medical experts. These experts concur with the practices followed by the Defence Forces in prescribing Lariam.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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It is very disappointing that the report has not been published. It has been raised on numerous occasions on this side of the House by various Opposition spokespersons. It is a matter of controversy. Cases are being taken by former members of the Defence Forces and possibly some serving members. It would have been in the public interest to redact whatever the Minister felt needed to be redacted in terms of legal privilege and to put the report out there. I again ask the Minister to reconsider this decision. Does he accept it would be in the public interest to put on the table the arguments he has made in the past when we have discussed this and he refuted the concerns raised? The report was quite a comprehensive undertaking, so why not put it in the public domain and let the people argue it back and forth?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy is aware, in replying to various Dáil questions over the past two years I have very substantially put in the public domain all of the issues with regard to Lariam, its importance and the fact that no member of our Defence Forces has contracted malaria - a disease which kills hundreds of thousands of people annually - in the context of missions abroad. I am advised by the State Claims Agency and the Chief State Solicitor's Office that because of the circumstances that exist it would be completely inappropriate to publish this particular report. It is a matter that has been prepared in the context of litigation the State must deal with and address. Unfortunately I cannot accede to the Deputy's request.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Is the Minister concerned about an article in The Sunday Times which stated that one of the contributors to the report, Professor Patricia Schlagenhauf, availed of research funding from Roche, the manufacturer of Lariam? The newspaper report contains a quote from Dr. Remington Neven, a researcher in the United States, who stated it is akin to hiring a tobacco company scientist to consult on cancer prevention policies. Does the Minister feel this was an appropriate appointment? On the basis of this revelation by the journalist Mark Tighe in The Sunday Times, will the Minister review how these reports are carried out in future?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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I will not go into the detail of the report beyond saying to the Deputy that, having read it very carefully, I know that the report addresses all of the issues with regard to Lariam and the various medical concerns that arise with regard to Lariam, malaria and the use of the available alternatives. I can say to the Deputy that the report confirms that the approach taken by our Defence Forces, in this context, in protecting the health of the members of our Defence Forces and in engaging with members of the Defence Forces prior to prescribing Lariam, is the correct one.