Vol. 475 No. 1
16 Mr. Cowen asked the Minister for Health when the first meeting of the consultative council for dealing with the health, research and counselling concerns of hepatitis C victims, which was promised in December 1995, is to take place; and if it is still planned to issue an annual report by this group in June 1997 in view of the fact that it has not met yet. [4494/97]
(Limerick East): I formally established the consultative council on hepatitis C on 26 November 1996. The commitment to establishing the council was contained in the health care package which I agreed with the four representative groups — Positive Action, Transfusion Positive, the Irish Haemophilia Society and the Irish Kidney Association. The four groups were consulted on the content of the establishment order and each is represented on the council which comprises 16 members in all.
The statutory instrument establishing the council contains an article providing that an annual report shall be presented to the Minister for Health not later than 30 June in each year, in relation to the performance of its functions during the preceding year. I see no reason this should not happen this year, although the report is likely to be brief as the council will not have been established during the whole of the preceding year. The first meeting of the council is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, 11 March 1997.
This consultative council was a central demand of those affected by this tragedy and it has taken the Minister 18 months to organise a meeting of it. The Minister has changed his public relations but he is still not willing to listen to the victims. Does the Minister agree that 18 months is an outrageously long time in which to respond to this key demand of the victims of the hepatitis C disaster? Does he accept that it shows no sense of urgency on the part of his Department? Will the Minister explain why since the first meeting will not take place until March, the research which is available from consultants will not be published as a result of the delay in setting up the council?
(Limerick East): I do not agree with the Deputy. The health package agreed with the four groups which represent the victims was a package of some magnitude. We proceeded to implement it as quickly as possible and with full consultation. The commitment to full consultation was important although it slowed the process. For example, after the initial consultations on the draft order and amendments had been taken into account the second draft order was sent to the four representative groups in August 1996. The final reply from one of the representative groups was not received until November 1996. Had we proceeded by diktat the process would have been completed sooner. However, I wanted to ensure agreement across the board. We have full agreement to the totality of the health package.
When the final observations from the association were made available to me in November 1996 I acted immediately by way of statutory instrument to set up the council. Just before Christmas I received the nominations from the representative groups and over Christmas and in early January I sought the agreement of others to serve, some of whom had to consult with their employers.
The council is one item in the health package. The Deputy will recall that one of the major items of the package was the provision of free primary care to all victims. The required legislation, the Health (Amendment) Act, 1996, was passed by the Oireachtas in the first half of 1996. At the same time, the arrangements were put in place for the compensation tribunal and the programme of research through the Health Research Board was being organised. The Health Research Board put it out to tender and the projects are now under way.
The Deputy made an oblique reference to the publication of research and I do not know what he has in mind. There is a separate research initiative attached to the Health Research Board. It has been allocated funds and is proceeding to conduct research into hepatitis C. In general terms, the consultative council will have an overview of what is happening elsewhere. If the Deputy wishes to raise a particular issue related to research I will have it investigated.
