asked the Minister for Health whether his attention has been drawn to a report to the effect that a drug in extensive use in Ireland, viz. Fluothane, is now suspected in the United States of causing dangerous side effects; and, if so, what action he has taken, or proposes to take, to protect the public from its possible dangers.

I have seen the report in question. Fluothane is used as the anaesthesia of patients undergoing surgery and is not ordinarily available to the general public. The selection of a safe and effective anaesthetic in individual cases is a matter for the anaesthetist concerned who is, of course, a highly-trained and experienced practitioner in this specialised field of medicine.