Clare Daly
Question:21. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence when he will publish the report of the working group on Lariam; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16705/16]
View answerTuesday, 21 June 2016
Questions (21)
Oral answers (7 contributions)
This is similar to the question tabled earlier by Deputy Ó Snodaigh regarding the report of the working group on Lariam, which we were promised in 2013. It was promised that it would be published in January this year but as of yet we have not seen it. Lariam continues to be prescribed as the drug of first choice and there is an urgency in dealing with this. The veterans assembled on Saturday, many of them victims of this drug. They want this to be acknowledged and they want their problems to be rectified.
The health and welfare of the Defence Forces are a priority for me and this informs my approach to the issue of Lariam. As I have already advised the House today, a malaria working group was established in January 2011 and reported in April 2013. The group was reconvened in August 2015.
The purpose of the group is to review, inter alia, issues arising in relation to the use of Lariam, particularly in the context of the current and potential litigation. It is to review the approach of the Defence Forces to the use of malaria chemoprophylaxis. It is also to ensure that the procedures continue to be appropriate and in accordance with best medical practice. In addition, the group was tasked with reviewing the use of the drug primaquine as part of the overall medical treatment process for those deployed to malarious areas.
As with the group's original report, the current report is being produced in the context of current and potential litigation and is, therefore, legally privileged. I can confirm that the group is investigating all the various allegations surrounding the use of Lariam and has obtained advice from leading medical experts.
I know the history of the report and its terms of reference but I want to see it. It was promised that we would have the report in January this year. Everything has changed utterly and radically on this subject since the last Dáil. At the end of last month the British Defence Select Committee published a highly critical report that recommended banning the use of Lariam by Ministry of Defence personnel.
It stated that at the very least it should be the drug of last resort. We know that Lariam is the third line of choice for the US army in sub-Saharan Africa. Its use is banned in the US Special Forces. We know that members of the Australian defence forces who have been diagnosed as suffering side effects from the use of Lariam can claim compensation and have received an apology. This is critically urgent. We are endangering the lives of those who serve in our Defence Forces. Lariam's use is against best medical practice.
I met a man at the protest on Saturday. He had served in Lebanon and been shot in the leg. He served in Kosovo, where he dug up bodies, but did not receive any counselling. He then went to Liberia. He was prescribed Lariam and has suffered dreadful side effects. He suffers from deep depression and psychological problems. This is critically urgent in order to stop other people suffering as a result of it. We need to see the report and we need to stop using Lariam. Stopping its use will put us in line with best medical practice.
Deputy Daly mentioned the UK defence committee report on Lariam. I am very much aware of the report and its conclusions. However, the use of Lariam by other armed forces is an internal matter for them. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on the policy of other states in this regard. The Deputy may wish to note that the working group invited two of the doctors who provided evidence to the UK defence committee to submit material to it and both Dr. Remington Nevin and Dr. Ashley Croft submitted material for its consideration.
On the use of Lariam in an Irish context, the health and welfare of the men and women of the Defence Forces is a priority for me. I have never changed that line, nor did my predecessor. The choice of medication for overseas deployment, including the use of Lariam, is a medical decision by the medical officers in the Irish Defence Forces, having regard for the specific circumstances of the mission and the individual member of the Irish Defence Forces.
This is critically worrying in the extreme. Let us look at the conclusions of the British committee. It stated that there was "neither the need, nor any justification for continuing to issue this medication to Service personnel" unless they can be individually assessed in accordance with the manufacturer's requirements. We know that is not possible in an army setting. The British forces are also concerned with the health of their personnel. Does it not bother the Minister of State that practically every single defence force on the planet has changed its position regarding Lariam except for the Irish Defence Forces, which dig in and refuse to acknowledge what has gone on? There is nothing wrong with saying we made a mistake. There is nothing wrong with acknowledging the wrongdoing. It is wrong, however, to continue with a policy that has been abandoned in other jurisdictions because of legitimate health concerns. We are flying in the face of international knowledge on this issue, yet we carry on blindly. This report was produced in 2013 and the working group was reconvened in 2015. The Minister of State's predecessor told us we would have the report in January. Can we see it, please, or is the Minister of State saying we will never get to see it?
There are different practices between Ireland and the UK. Our position is that Lariam remains formally on the list of medications prescribed by the medical corps for Defence Forces personnel on appropriate overseas missions to ensure that our military personnel can have effective protection from the serious risks posed by malaria, which killed approximately 438,000 people in 2015, with 90% of deaths occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, as reported by the World Health Organization. Malaria is a serious threat to any military force operating in the area. It is notable that no member of the Defence Forces, despite the numbers who have served in malarial areas, has died from malaria. The use of and information on medications is kept under ongoing review. However, there are no plans at this time to withdraw Lariam from the range of anti-malarial medications available to the Irish Defence Forces.
Question No. 22 is in the name of Deputy David Cullinane, who is not in the House.
Question No. 22 replied to with Written Answers.
Questions No. 23 answered with Question No. 19.