Vol. 275 No. 10
asked the Minister for Health if he will give details of the total amount of compensation paid or to be paid to the Irish thalidomide children; and how this figure compares with the total amount of compensation paid to thalidomide children in other countries.
104.
asked the Minister for Health if any commitment has been given by the Irish Government to the German Government to the effect that no litigation will be instituted against either the German Government or Chemie Grünenthal in respect of Irish thalidomide victims.
105.
asked the Minister for Health the actuarial studies, if any, that have been undertaken on the loss of earning power of Irish thalidomide victims.
With the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 to 105 together.
The compensation payable to Irish children with disabilities attributable to the thalidomide drug manufactured by Chemie Grünenthal is the same as that payable to the children of other nationalities, including German children, affected by the German-made drug. Final awards have been decided for 27 of the 33 Irish children accepted under the German compensation fund. They are in the form of lump sum payments of between £1,250 and £4,166 in current sterling equivalents, plus monthly allowances for life of between £17 and £75. The average lump sum for the 27 cases so far decided is approximately £3,000 and in 18 cases the maximum allowance of £75 has been awarded.
Precise information about awards to children with claims against manufacturers of the drug in other countries is not available although I am, of course, aware that the average compensation per child in respect of the British-made product, for example, is considerably more favourable. It was against this background of disparity in compensation that the Government decided in principle to augment the awards to Irish children. I hope to be able to announce details of this augmentation shortly.
While the prospects of an improvement in the German compensation was explored in discussions with representatives of the German Government, the question of any commitment in respect of litigation did not arise. I am not aware of any actuarial studies on the loss of earning power of Irish thalidomide victims. The Irish Thalidomide Medical Board which I set up has, however, reported on the degree of handicap and the care and treatment required in each case.
In the case of where the manufacturers say there is some doubt about the drug having affected a particular child, might I ask the Minister who would adjudicate on that?
They were adjudicated on, in the first place, by the committee in Germany and, secondly, by the Thalidomide Board which I established.
Might I ask the Minister whether or not the details he has already given to us in respect of payments made to 27 applicants have been given to the parents of the children in question and, if so, when?
I could not say when exactly. The information is somewhere in this brief but as far as I am aware, it has been given to the parents.
I spoke recently to some of the parents and I gathered from them that they were still rather concerned and, indeed, dissatisfied with the position generally. That was about ten days ago. I wonder if this news, which the Minister has just given the House, was given to them prior or subsequent to their chat with me?
No, there is no news of which they are not already aware contained in the answer.
Then the Minister can take it that the parents are not entirely happy at the moment.
They are not entirely happy but I think they ought to be pleased in any case that this Government have agreed to augment what they get from the German fund.
