Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

As outlined on Committee Stage, the purpose of this Bill is to provide for the establishment of the payments scheme, the making of payments and the provision of health benefits under the scheme. What is being proposed in this amendment is extremely challenging. Some of the requirements coming in from this amendment might not be legally possible, in particular the creation of statutory obligations and offences for non-compliance, which is part of what is being proposed here. It would be extremely difficult to set out the criteria for establishing the size of the contribution due by a relevant party, which includes a private individual or an organisation, and to verify information in respect of each of those points, particularly given the very wide timeframe involved here, spanning 80 years.To recall the work that has been done in this space in respect of vaccine trials, following the publication of the final report, I wrote to GlaxoSmithKline and subsequently met its representatives. I have made this point to the House previously, in particular in response to Senator Boyhan. I conveyed my view that all parties, including GlaxoSmithKline, had moral and ethical obligations to take actions under the report. I asked its representatives to look at the fact that the report outlined a very clear history of vaccine trials taking place without consent in mother and baby, and county home institutions and in a range of other institutions and community settings. It is important to recall that these trials also took place in others settings. I expressed my view that the response from GlaxoSmithKline, which was to offer access to information, while welcome, was inadequate. More must be done in terms of an apology and contribution.

On engagement with religious orders, I recently appointed a negotiator to lead this process and engage on a detailed basis to try find a basis upon which a meaningful contribution can be made. I recognise that a number of these orders have made apologies but I said, and the message that the negotiator will continue to convey to these orders on my behalf, is that an apology on its own needs more. It needs something behind it and that needs to be a meaningful contribution to the State in respect of the State's response. That process is under way. It is a negotiating process; there is no point in negotiating in public or over the airwaves. The outcome of that process, whatever it may be, will be reported to both Houses of the Oireachtas.