An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-17
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Micheál Martin (FF), Cork South-Central

Obviously the thalidomide facilitation process is under way under the chairmanship of Mr. Justice Paul Gilligan. There has been good engagement with the Irish Thalidomide Association, ITA, and the Irish Thalidomide Survivors Society. The Tánaiste and I met the ITA twice in the last quarter of 2025, in October and then before Christmas. These were constructive meetings. Several complex issues were raised. Officials are following up on these matters. I am as frustrated as anybody by the length of time this has taken. I do not think there is a need for that. I think these issues can be resolved. There is ongoing correspondence. We will meet, certainly, our objectives by the end of February. We have established, as the Deputy knows, a national thalidomide advocacy office. A wide range of health and social care supports are being provided, have been provided and will continue to be provided in terms of medical cards, annual assessments, access to allied health professionals, access to international centres of excellence when expertise is not available nationally, prophylactic MRI, unlimited access-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-17/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:38+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-17