Vol. 500 No. 7
315 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the recommendations of the expert medical group on whooping cough vaccinations established in 1977; the action, if any, taken in response to these recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5219/99]
316 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the waiver signed by persons (details supplied) barred them from taking legal action against a company (details supplied); the reason for the inclusion of the manufacturer in this waiver; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5220/99]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 315 and 316 together.
The Expert Medical Group on Whooping Cough Vaccination was established in 1977 by the then Minister for Health with the following terms of reference:
To examine persons who, it is claimed, have been permanently damaged by whooping cough vaccination, review the medical information available in relation to them and indicate whether, in their opinion, the damage is attributable to the vaccination.
It was not within the group's terms of reference to make overall recommendations as its work was confined to the consideration of individual cases who presented themselves to the group.
The group found that of the 93 cases, there was a reasonable probability that the vaccine was responsible for damage in 16 of these. The Government approved the making of an ex-gratia payment of £10,000 in each of these cases on condition that the persons concerned waived any further claims against the State or any public authority. The intention was to protect the State from further liability. Subsequent to the Government decision oral advice from the Attorney General's office was obtained in relation to the letters to be issued to the families concerned. There was no reference of a waiver in favour of manufacturers of whopping cough vaccine in the letters which issued to parents.
317 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Health and Children the reason the Eastern Health Board had completed its search of its records into the administration of three-in-one vaccine batch No. 3741 by January 1999 when the Southern Health Board had only checked 25 per cent of its records by the start of February 1999; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5221/99]
In August 1998, having received information from Glaxo Wellcome regarding the lot numbers of the vaccine produced from batch 3741, my Department wrote to the health boards asking them to examine their records to see if the extent of usage of these lots in Ireland in the 1968-70 period could be established. In December 1998 the Eastern Health Board informed my Department that it had completed the trawl of its immunisation records for the period concerned.
