SEANAD REPORT:THE STATE faces a potential swine flu pandemic, Liam Twomey(FG) warned. Anyone who did only a small amount of research would realise that the HSE's campaign in regard to the swine flu vaccination programme was an absolute shambles and was falling apart.

There were not l,800 doctors participating in the scheme. The HSE had been sending vaccine doses to general practitioners’ surgeries, but no documentation whatsoever had been sent.

There was a serious need for the Minister for Health to actually say that she was responsible for something and she should look into what was going on “with this potential pandemic in our healthcare system. Because at this moment in time my gut instinct is that it is a mess.”

Lisa McDonald(FF) said there was an urgent need for clarification on the availability of the vaccine for pregnant women. She had been contacted by a woman who lived next door to someone who had been stricken by the virus.

This woman, who was 32 weeks pregnant, had been told by her GP that he would not be providing the “vaccination”. It was a disgrace that they were allowing vulnerable people to endure worry because of a lack of clarification which could, in her view, be provided quickly.

A Fine Gael move to have an emergency debate on how the December 9th budget should be framed, was defeated by a single vote – 25 to 24.

Dan Boyle(Green Party), deputy Government leader in the House, said he did not think any Senator should second guess what was likely to happen on December 9th. The Government was committed to a budget adjustment of €4 billion.

The circumstances demanded that such an adjustment be made, but how this was to be done had yet to be decided, added Mr Boyle.