Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

Likewise, I am going to refer to the measures that were taken in the budget during the allocated time we have. Today, I want to raise the issue of the prohibition on men who have sex with men from donating blood in the Republic of Ireland. The remit of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service is to provide safe, reliable and robust blood supply for the health system and it can continue to perform this role and minimise the risks while removing the 12-month automatic prohibition. The ban is not reflected in many countries across Europe, including our closest neighbours. In fact, because of the pandemic, I understand that this year, the Irish Blood Transfusion Service bulk-imported blood from England due to a shortage of blood here. It came after Britain had moved to an individual risk assessment system for all prospective donors, and the same has recently happened in Northern Ireland. As England accepts blood from Irish donors, this means that an Irish man who has sex with men could have donated blood in the Irish supply system in Manchester but not in Dublin or anywhere else in Ireland.

I was contacted earlier this week by a man who has been travelling to donate blood in Northern Ireland and London since he has been able to do so, in a hugely altruistic act. At the end of August this year, that person gave his 18th blood donation. He has O negative blood, which is always in great demand and short supply because it can be given to any blood group. These 18 donations could not have been given in the Republic of Ireland and 18 patients potentially would have gone without the blood they needed.

It is unreasonable that the men who contacted me, who are so willing to help others and who would much prefer to donate safe and needed blood here at home, cannot do so in their own country because of the very outdated viewpoint of the Irish Blood Transfusion Service. We have not adopted an individual risk assessment system. I call on the Minister and the Irish Blood Transfusion Service to reassess the 12-month automatic ban on blood donations for men who have sex with men and to assess the individual risk assessment management system in order to ensure the safest and most reliable blood supply is available in Ireland and that we get the blood we need within our own system.