Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 113: To ask the Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question Nos. 43 and 7 of 21 October 2010 and No. 68 of 15 December 2010 in which he stated that the Defence Forces prescribe anti-malaria drug Lariam to its personnel in accordance with the prescribing instructions and information provided by the Irish Medicines Board and that the system employed by the Defence Forces adheres to international best practice, this has been disputed by many Defence Forces personnel who believe their health has been damaged as a result of inappropriate prescription of Lariam, if he will acquire all written documentation provided to Defence Forces personnel relating to Lariam, either prior to or at the time of drug prescription, prior to deployment, whilst overseas, or when a suspected adverse reaction occurs and enter these documents into the Dáil record; if he will ensure that the information provided covers both current Defence Forces documentation and all historical documentation provided to personnel since Lariam was first introduced; if he will specify the time period of use for each document in view of the fact that there have been significant changes to the Lariam safety profile during the period and different personnel who are ill after taking Lariam served at different times on different missions and in different countries. [4228/11]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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I am advised by the Military authorities that the first major mission on which Lariam was prescribed was Eritrea in 2001. Written documentation relating to the drug is provided to the relevant personnel via, inter alia, Instructions from the Director of the Medical Corps, documents published by individual units and the patient information leaflet that accompanies the medication itself. The information sought by the Deputy is currently being compiled and will be forwarded in due course.