Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (Dublin Bay North, Labour)
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525. To ask the Minister for Health if he will establish a stakeholder group to review safety and risk measures in relation to the distribution and prescribing of sodium valproate. [29789/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 514 and 525 together.

The establishment of a stakeholder group to address ongoing concerns relating to the use of this drug is currently being considered by officials within the Department of Health.

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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As this Parliamentary Question relates to an operational issue, it is a matter for the HSE. However, members of the Oireachtas are advised that the HSE is currently unable to access the information to answer Parliamentary Questions due to the recent cyber-attack, which has required a temporary shut-down of HSE IT systems.

The disruption to service is on-going, and the HSE is working hard to restore its IT capacity and resume normal services. Members of the Oireachtas will be advised as soon as the HSE is again in a position to provide responses to PQs and are encouraged to resubmit their Parliamentary Questions at that point.