Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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128. To ask the Minister for Health the number of claims pending against the State Claims Agency related to persons that had an adverse reaction to the swine flu vaccine; the number of cases settled; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41656/18]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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As of 8 October 2018, active claims against the Minister, the Health Services Executive and GlaxoSmithKline Biological SA have been initiated by seventy five individuals, of which, 62 involve the issue and service of legal proceedings.  The plaintiffs allege personal injury in which they claim the development of narcolepsy resulted from the administration of the H1N1 pandemic vaccine.  

The management of these cases transferred to the State Claims Agency on 15 October 2013 when the Taoiseach signed the National Treasury Management Agency (Delegation of Claims Management Functions) (Amendment) Order 2013. 

The State Claims Agency has also settled a further 2 cases, one concerning an eye injury, which did not involve any complaint about narcolepsy or cataplexy. The second settled case involved an adverse reaction, not relating to narcolepsy or cataplexy. 

I continue to engage with the Minister for Justice and the Minister for Finance on what further improvements can be made to the legal framework governing the management of, inter alia, certain vaccine damage cases.