asked the Minister for Health whether his attention has been drawn to the manner in which the replies given by him in Dáil Eireann on Wednesday, 25th June, to Questions Nos. 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10, relating to poliomyelitis, were reported in an issue of a newspaper on 26th June; and, if so, whether in view of the fact that the report in question is likely to mislead the public as to the conditions under which the public anti-polio vaccination service was available to parents he will make a statement in the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Anti-Polio Vaccination: Newspaper Report.
My attention was drawn to the report referred to and I wrote to the editor of the newspaper concerned pointing out its inadequate character. The editor has since published my letter which incorporated, not only the full text of my reply to a parliamentary question concerning my policy in regard to vaccination against poliomyelitis, but also the text of a reply to a further question by Deputy Liam Cosgrave, who sought details of the revised arrangements for such vaccinations.
In order to remove any possible misunderstanding in regard to this matter, I take this opportunity to emphasise that the free vaccination service is available to parents and guardians who cannot, without undue hardship, provide out of their own resources for the vaccination of their children, irrespective of whether or not they hold medical service cards.
I propose also, as I have already stated, to authorise health authorities to make arrangements for the provision of vaccination for children of parents and guardians in the classes specified in Section 15 (2) of the Health Act, 1953, which include persons who might not be in a position to show conclusively that the service could be provided in their case without undue hardship but who might, nevertheless, be expected to find difficulty in meeting the full inclusive cost of the vaccines and professional services involved. Like the present free service, the supplementary service will be administered by the local health authorities and will cover children up to ten years of age and expectant mothers. Under it the charges for a full course of three injections will be 15/- per expectant mother, 15/- per child where one or two children from the same family participate and 10/- per child where three or more children participate. As the supplementary service will be administered by the local health authorities, applications for vaccinations under it will require to be made to the county council or county borough council in the district in which the parents or guardians concerned reside.
Under these arrangements, it should be possible for all parents and guardians who are anxious to do so to have their children immunised against poliomyelitis.
In view of the confusion which exists concerning those entitled to this service, will the Minister consider having details of the service published at dispensaries and clinics?
I shall look into that. I do not think there can be very much confusion. After all, the announcement regarding the service was made only a few days ago, when the arrangements were finally completed for providing it.
Will the Minister recall that the announcement was made in the middle of a by-election, when a good many other matters were engaging the attention of the public, and that there is now opportunity for clarification of his amendment of the policy first declared by him in this House and which was pretty generally accepted?
Of course the Deputy's supplementary question conveys an innuendo which is quite baseless, as most of the Deputy's innuendoes are. The announcement was made because this was a matter in which there was a great deal of public interest and made as soon as it was clear to me that we could provide a service to meet the marginal cases and those who are in the upper limit of the group covered by Section 15 (2) of the Act and those beyond them, on the margin. I made the announcement because I was anxious that no parents should continue to be unduly alarmed or apprehensive, because they might think that the cost of vaccination for their children against polio would be beyond their means.