Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I join in the welcome extended to the Minister for whom it is possibly difficult to be here given the circumstances. He is here to represent and speak for the Department of Health and Children and the Government, although he was not a Minister during the period under discussion. I thank him for staying in the House for the full debate, which reflects his personal concern. Senator Feeney made her remarks very well. She is emotional about this subject, as is everyone who has any involvement with it.

I served in the Department of Health and Children from 1987 to 1989 and was not delegated any responsibility for the Blood Bank. That was not my wish because no one could have anticipated the effects of the workings of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service on haemophiliacs and those who contracted hepatitis C. The former Minister, Deputy Noonan, has been unfairly treated in this regard. He is not a doctor or a scientist, but an extremely able politician who, as Minister, was advised by departmental officials to take a certain line of action, which he did. He has stated he regrets this, but such are the difficulties of being a member of Cabinet, as the Minister will know from having to take decisions every day of the week. The Minister has issued a profound apology to those affected, 79 of whom have been murdered by the State while a further 260 are infected and face a very bleak future.

The Department was not aware of the haemophilia issue when I served in it. A Dáil motion in the name of Deputy Howlin, on behalf of the Labour Party, seeking a trust fund of £400,000 to assist haemophiliacs, was rejected by the Government on the basis that it could not enter into commitments. The effect was to bring down the Administration which had been supported by Alan Dukes through the Tallaght strategy. The decision was the wrong one and I tried to avert it in any way I could.