Minister for Health Mary Harney insisted she was satisfied with the preparations being made for a possible avian flu pandemic.
"The health sector's role in regard to avian flu relates to the human health implications that would arise were there to be an outbreak of avian flu in this country. Guidance on the investigation and management of suspected human cases has, therefore, been developed and circulated within the health system."
Ms Harney said her department and the Health Service Executive were working closely on pandemic planning. "The influenza pandemic expert group is updating the expert guidance and the pandemic influenza operational response plan is being updated in line with the expert advice.
"In addition, my department has established a standing interdepartmental committee to consider issues which go beyond the health aspects of a flu pandemic."
John Gormley (Green Party, Dublin South East) asked Ms Harney if she agreed with the assessment of Dr Kevin Kelleher, who had told the Oireachtas committee on health that the health service, as it stood, probably could not cope with a flu pandemic. Ms Harney said she totally disagreed.
"We have shown in recent times, in particular with regard to how the foot-and-mouth disease was handled, that we are very good, as a country, at handling emerging issues of this kind and can work closely together. Our planning is very much in line with that of the World Health Organisation. We follow its instructions and the 2004 plan is in line with instructions."
Ms Harney said the vaccine would be taken on a voluntary basis but it was clear that healthcare professionals would want to use it to protect themselves. It had been 40 years since the last pandemic, she added.
She said Prof Hall, a world expert in the area, had told her that it could be another 40 years until the next pandemic.
"However, we must be vigilant and cannot be complacent. Therefore, when we are creating stockpiles in Ireland of vaccines, Relenza and Tamiflu, we do so to have enough to cover 40 per cent of the population, which is a higher proportion than in any other European country."
Ms Harney said that in the event of a pandemic, the health system would be under pressure, as it would in any country.
"We would have to respond to that pressure and would do so at different levels, in the first instance using Tamiflu, Relenza and the vaccines. We are acquiring these products as quickly as we can.
"We joined with the UK to access the vaccine because as a small country we do not have much muscle in dealing with the producers of these products."
Pressed further by Mr Gormley, Ms Harney said that the decision to purchase Relenza was new.
"Together with the vaccine, the use of Relenza will mean that 40 per cent of the population is covered. To the best of my knowledge, no country is aiming for anywhere near the target and certainly none are going beyond it."
