John Whelan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House; she is representing the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar. My request is to ask the Minister for Health to sit down with the parents of the narcolepsy victims, the parents of the children who have contracted this terrible affliction and lifelong disease as a result of a State-sponsored vaccination programme. I cannot understand why the Minister cannot meet them at the earliest opportunity as this situation has been ongoing for five years. It is incumbent on the Minister to sit down with the parents. The support group, SOUND, represents sufferers of unique narcolepsy disorder.They contracted this lifelong affliction and disease which will damage their health and hamper their quality of life for the rest of their lives. It is bad enough that has happened. It is a terrible tragedy. However, it compounds the problem and adds insult to injury to refuse to meet the parents and to live up to our responsibilities and obligations to the children affected, to support them now and for the rest of their lives. I am appalled to report to the House that families have been threatened by elements within the Department and the HSE that if they countenance legal action the meagre supports available to them will be withdrawn. Who is representing that position? It is certainly not our position. Who would dare to do that to a child?

I predict that the State is sleepwalking itself into the nightmare of a queue of protracted High Court legal cases. The parents and children to whom I refer do not want to go to the High Court but the HSE and the Department of Health are now washing their hands of the matter and they have referred it to the State Claims Agency. The latter body never seems to want to discuss a matter and to settle it, it favours litigation. Time and again we have seen children wheeled out on "Six One News" after four or five and up to ten years in court. Instead of supporting children and spending the money to help them and support them in their lives with medical care, education and quality of life, the State would rather pay millions to barristers to drag things out for a decade. Very often by the time the help and compensation comes it is useless and pointless and more damage has been done.

The powers that be must intervene because we cannot have children dragged through the courts unnecessarily. There is no need for that. We administered the vaccine, which was a blanket one rather than a targeted one. We made a second strategic error when the HSE indemnified GlaxoSmithKline from any responsibility, which landed the full burden on taxpayers and the State. The liability has been established beyond dispute. We have a responsibility and a moral obligation to the families affected, instead of dragging children through the courts and running up a bill of tens of millions for taxpayers over years. More than 70 cases have now been filed and the number could reach 100. I am ashamed to say the State has any hand, act or part in this approach and strategy. Why are we going to the State Claims Agency with the matter? There is nothing in dispute. In some instances all the parents and children want is, for example, a medical card so that they do not have to worry about the cost of medical card; education supports and lifelong assistance. This is a lifelong affliction, a burden from which they will never be free. Had they contracted swine flu they would have recovered by now. This was a terrible mistake. We should learn from our mistakes. This is the hepatitis C scandal ready to play out all over again. We should not add to the trauma and distress of the families and children. We all know the terrible burden it would be if it was any of our children. I implore that the Minister for Health, Deputy Leo Varadkar, would meet with the parents support group, SOUND, at the earliest juncture to nip this in the bud and to bring common sense to the situation instead of resorting to the courts.