Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 1, 3, 19, 20, 27, 36, 44, 46, 52, 60 and 76 together.
As the Deputies will be aware, I published the report of the expert group on the Blood Transfusion Service Board yesterday and I circulated a copy of the report to every Member of the Oireachtas for their information together with the press release which accompanied it.
The policy document, A Government of Renewal, of December 1994 included a commitment to fair compensation for women infected by the hepatitis C virus from Anti-D. I am pleased to be able to honour the Government's commitment to women affected by the hepatitis C virus from Anti-D and their families.
The Department is in detailed discussion with the Attorney General's office with regard to setting up the compensation tribunal. Consultations are also ongoing on this issue between the Department of Health and Positive Action, the support group for women with hepatitis C and their families. It will be a matter for the compensation tribunal to decide on individual offers of compensation.
I am concerned to ensure that an effective mechanism be put in place as quickly as possible to administer the ex-gratia compensation scheme and I am hopeful that all those affected will find the tribunal an acceptable, prompt and informal setting in which to deal with the compensation issue.
The expert group, in its report, made a number of recommendations in relation to the organisation and management of the Blood Transfusion Service Board and the National Drugs Advisory Board.
To support the board of the Blood Transfusion Service Board in implementing the necessary improvements required immediately in the workings of the Blood Transfusion Service Board, I announced yesterday that the Government has approved the assignment of Professor Shaun R. McCann, Consultant Haematologist, St. James's Hospital and Mr. Liam Dunbar, Chief Executive Officer, St. James's Hospital, as advisers to the board for a period of up to a year.
I announced in February that the Government had approved the appointment of Bain and Co., a consultancy firm with special expertise in the area of blood transfusion services, to carry out a thorough and in depth major review of all the workings of the Blood Transfusion Service Board. The Bain and Co. project is well under way and is expected to be completed by the end of this month.
I have not requested the resignation of any member of the board of the Blood Transfusion Service Board and I have every confidence in the board under the new chairman, Mr. Joe Holloway. I should point out that nine of the present 12 board members have been appointed since 31 August 1993. I understand Mr. Holloway was appointed appointed in September 1994.
I assure the House that there are no plans to close the Blood Transfusion Service Centre in Cork. The accounts of the Blood Transfusion Service Board, which are audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General, for the year ended 31 December 1994 will be published shortly.
I also announced yesterday that a new permanent chief executive officer of the National Drugs Advisory Board will take up duty early in June. Work is proceeding on the preparation of new legislation which will replace the National Drugs Advisory Board with a new Irish medicines board, which will become the licensing authority for all medicines.
In addition, arrangements are in train to recruit a management consultancy firm to undertake a thorough and independent assessment of all aspects of the organisation and management of the National Drugs Advisory Board in anticipation of the requirements of the legislation.
It has not been cost effective for the Blood Transfusion Service Board to manufacture all blood products required for our health services. Plasma from Irish donors over the years has been sent to specialist pharmaceutical companies for fractionation to ensure an adequate supply of the various blood products required for Irish patients. To ensure cost effectiveness, the contracts between the Blood Transfusion Service Board and these specialised pharmaceutical companies usually contain a clause that surplus plasma which is not required to meet Irish needs can be used by the pharmaceutical companies to manufacture products for use in other countries. On this issue, I would point out that a detailed review of the current policy for sourcing of plasma products and an investigation of the strategic options available to the Blood Transfusion Service Board is one of the terms of reference of the Bain and Company consultancy project which will report in about three weeks. The preferred option will be that which best ensures the reliable supply of the highest quality plasma derived products in the future, at the minimum cost to the Irish health service and at maximum safety.
The Blood Transfusion Service Board, in consultation with the National Drugs Advisory Board, is addressing the various issues raised in the Medicine Control Agency's report. The board's facility will be reinspected to ensure that its medical practices are up to highest international standards.
In relation to the Abbott Flexible Pipetting Centre, the Blood Transfusion Service Board has advised me that the correct procedures are now in place and the the board is satisfied that no product has been contaminated as a result of the deficiencies identified by the Medicines Control Agency. The security issue identified in the report is being addressed by the board as a matter of urgency.
The issue of public confidence in the blood transfusion service is of major concern to me. The Government decisions that I announced yesterday are crucial in maintaining public confidence. It is an ongoing challenge to ensure an adequate level of blood donations for the needs of the health service and it is vital that the present level of donations is at least maintained. In excess of 3,000 blood donations are needed every week to meet hospital needs.
Treatment and support services are in place for some time to meet the needs of those who have tested positive for hepatitis C under the national blood screening programme. Treatment for those who test positive for hepatitis C is being provided at the following six designated hospitals: Beaumont Hospital, Dublin; Mater Hospital, Dublin; St. James's Hospital, Dublin; St. Vincent's Hospital, Dublin' Cork University Hospital and University College Hospital, Galway.
The treatment initially involves an out-patient visit which may be followed by a short admission for clinical investigation and follow up treatment, if required.
A counselling programme involving medical staff at the Blood Transfusion Service Board and general practitioners throughout the country was put in place by the Blood Transfusion Service Board for persons who received the Anti-D product. Persons who tested positive for hepatitis C under the national blood screening programme were also invited to Blood Transfusion Service Board consultations which took place in Dublin, Waterford, Wexford, Kilkenny, Clonmel, Cork, Limerick and Galway. To support the Blood Transfusion Service Board counselling services, a counselling programme was also structured by it with the Well Woman Centre Dublin. Large group information meetings on hepatitis C were also held in Dublin, Waterford, Cork, Tralee, Limerick, Galway, Castlebar, Sligo, Monaghan, Mullingar and Donegal. The recommendations contained in the expert group report regarding counselling are being considered urgently by my Department in consultation with the Blood Transfusion Service Board.
I assure the House that the services put in place for persons who have tested positive for hepatitis C under the national blood screening programme will be available for as long as they are required. The needs of those who have been diagnosed as positive for hepatitis C will be monitored and re-assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure that the necessary support services are provided to meet their needs.