asked the Minister for Health when it is proposed to set up the medical panel to examine brain damaged children.

33.

asked the Minister for Health if he is satisfied that his appointments to the assessment panel for brain damaged children meet the interests of the parents and organisations concerned with the issue.

I propose, with the permission of the Ceann Comhairle, to take Questions Nos. 32 and 33 together.

The Deputy will be aware that I have announced the setting up of an expert medical group to assess cases of alleged damage from whooping cough vaccine. I am satisfied that the group I have set up will objectively assess claims made that damage of a permanent nature resulted to individuals from the administration of whooping cough vaccination.

Would the Minister agree that the organisation referred to has very intimate knowledge of brain damage to children in this context? In view of the fact that the Minister and the parents have approved of the qualifications of a certain person in this respect, would he consider adding the name of that person to the panel to ensure that justice is not only done but that it will be seen to be done? I have been invited to join the panel. I realise the problem involved but in view of the fact that the extra expense would not be large, would the Minister consider the request to add this person's name to the panel?

I am afraid I cannot. First of all, the Deputy will agree that the panel appointed are beyond reproach. They are experts and completely satisfactory from all points of view. What we want is an impartial, objective panel. The parents have indicated that the people appointed meet with their approval. It is a different matter to go beyond that and appoint somebody whom they indicated they would like to see on the panel.

In the original discussions on this, the person was of considerable help and had been recognised as such by the Ombudsman in Britain and by the Ministry of Health and Social Services there. Would the Minister, therefore, not consider adding his name to the panel?

Perhaps he can be of assistance to the parents in putting a case to the panel but it is important to have an impartial, objective panel.

Is the Minister aware that this person is not concerned with any of the people involved? It is only because of his knowledge of brain damage resulting from whooping cough vaccine that he was consulted in the first place.

I do not want to discuss the qualifications of an individual and I am sure Deputy O'Connell would not like that either.

That is why I did not mention his name.

We have set up a panel of impartial, objective people of whom the parents have indicated acceptance. If we were to go beyond that we would be interfering with the objectivity and the impartiality of the panel. Other people in this area have been involved as protagonists——

Does the Minister agree that in the original discussions he and I had, it was agreed the parents would nominate——

I have gone very carefully over the records and that was not agreed.

The records are not the Minister's.

I made it clear to the parents, and it was agreed, that there would be consultations as to the membership of the panel. The Deputy and I agree that what we want is to have this thing examined impartially and objectively and I suggest that what I am proposing now will achieve that. I would be grateful if the Deputy would help me to bring that about.

Were the parents consulted?

Yes, fully. They indicated that all those people were acceptable to them.