Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for taking time out of his busy day to stay with us for the duration of the debate. Some of his colleagues were criticised in the past for not spending time listening to the Members of the Upper Chamber. It shows the type of man and Minister he is that he has decided to stay here to conclude the debate this evening.

I defend the motion. Perhaps Members on the other side of the House have misread it. We commend the Government for implementing the recommendations of the report and for supporting good standards. That has always been the case, regardless of what Government is in office. We have always supported high and proper standards.

I welcome the opportunity to debate the Lindsay report. One can hear the note of pain and sadness in the voices of the Members who have spoken on this issue. This became an issue in the mid 1980s when a virus, which the professionals did not know about, was detected in blood. We all recall the sad plight of Mrs. Brigid McCole which was brought back to us recently in the series, "No Tears". That led to the establishment of an inquiry into the role of the blood bank. We are all aware of the row between the blood bank in Cork and Dublin. Dr. Jane Power did great work to highlight the mistakes made and the location of the virus.

We all know about the young men who suffered from haemophilia and who regarded the introduction of Factor 8 as the treatment which would transform their lives. Factor 8, which was a clotting agent, was a wonderful treatment. Prior to its introduction, if young haemophiliacs bled, the blood seeped into their joints which caused deformity. We saw deformity in men in their late teens and early twenties, thirties and forties. One can only imagine the excitement and joy of those young men and their families when Factor 8 came on stream. The professionals felt there was something wrong during the mid 1980s. However, they had to wait until the early 1990s when the virus was identified. By then, however, it was too late as haemophiliacs were already suffering from hepatitis C and HIV. We know now that the blood was not properly screened and treated. The horrific part is that the donor pool was identified. Like Senator Norris, I want to know if it was allowed to stay in commission and to be used for other people.