Vol. 471 No. 2
28 Mr. Andrews asked the Minister for Health the reason a commitment in the healthcare agreement with hepatitis C victims to establish a consultative council by December 1995 has not been honoured; the date on which the council will be established; and the parties he has invited to be on the council. [20446/96]
Limerick East): The agreed health care package for persons who have contracted hepatitis C directly or indirectly from the use of human immunoglobulin — anti-D — whole blood or blood products which was published in December 1995 included a commitment to the establishment of a statutory consultative council on hepatitis C. A draft establishment order was circulated by my Department on 22 December 1995 to the four representative organisations, i.e. Positive Action, Transfusion Positive, the Irish Kidney Association and the Irish Haemophilia Society, seeking their observations. The views subsequently expressed by the representative organisations were taken fully into account by my Department and a revised draft of the establishment order was circulated to the four organisations on 30 August 1996 seeking their views.
I have only today received a formal response from the last of the four representative organisations. Each of the organisations will have representation on the consultative council and it is my intention to establish the consultantive Council at the earliest possible date. I have been concerned throughout this consultation process to ensure that the terms of the establishment order should, in so far as possible, meet with the wishes of the representative organisations.
