Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish all Members well in their important work as they embark on another term in the Houses. The Order of Business gives us as Senators an opportunity to raise issues with the Leader. I am conscious that one of the strongest roles we have here in addition to legislating is advocacy. I have always said one of the great powers we have is to shine a light in dark places, speak for the voiceless and bring the concerns of people and the nation in through the Leinster House gates.

I focus today on the Irish Thalidomide Association's requests, which have been ongoing.I do not need to rehearse the history of the year of ongoing frustration on the part of the association as it tried to get the Minister of Health to meet it and honour a commitment to meet these people who have serious concerns and issues for which they want to advocate. Honour is a very important word in public life and politics. I actively engaged with the Minister and the Department over a long period, trying to seek an opportunity to meet but it was not forthcoming.

Many of us have received correspondence in the past two weeks on this. I read something by Finola Cassidy which really stood out which I will quote as it sums it up well:

Thalidomide caused severe foetal damage. We were born without limbs, with limbs foreshortened, with impairments of hearing and vision, as well as injury to internal organs. This caused pain and suffering, not only to ourselves, but also to our parents, siblings and to our own children and partners. Now in middle age we are looking back at our lives and looking forward to our futures.

That is not an unreasonable request. Senators will have received an email this morning with a press release from the Irish Thalidomide Association. It was headed "U-turn by Donnelly welcomed by Irish Thalidomide Association":

The Irish Thalidomide Association thanks the more than 40 TDs and Senators who lobbied the Minister for Health to reset a meeting he cancelled last year. In a parliamentary question reply last night he said he would meet the association having said only days before he couldn’t.

We welcome this handbrake turn by the Minister and look forward to meeting him soon.

I want to take this opportunity to highlight once again the importance of these people's plight and their reasonable call. They are people who want justice. They want their day to set out their concerns. They want us to advocate for them and to assist them with moving on with their lives while addressing the many travesties that have affected them. I thank all the Members, acknowledge the Minister, even at this late stage, and thank him one year on for agreeing to meet this group. I thank the group for its persistence. I am glad this House is able to shine a light and give voice on an important issue.