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   Apology for thalidomide survivors
The government has apologised to the victims of the thalidomide scandal following the agreement of a £20m support package. Health minister Mike O'Brien made the formal apology in and oral statement to MPs, following the announcement of the funding in December to the Thalidomide Trust. O'Brien told the Commons that the government expressed its "sincere regret and deep sympathy" to all of those affected by the devastating side effects of the drug. The health minister confirmed that the government will fund a new three year pilot scheme to provide a more personalised service for survivors. He added that he knew "many thalidomiders have waited a long time" for the funding agreed, with 466 victims being supported by the Thalidomide Trust. Pregnant women were prescribed the drug in the 1950s and 1960s as a treatment for morning sickness or insomnia. The drug was withdrawn from sale in 1961 following the birth of babies born with limb deformities and other damage. "The government wishes to express its sincere regret and deep sympathy for the injury and suffering endured by all those affected when expectant mothers took the drug thalidomide between 1958 and 1961," O'Brien said. "We acknowledge both the physical hardship and the emotional difficulties that have faced both the children affected and their families as a result of this drug and the challenges that many continue to endure, often on a daily basis." For the Conservatives, Stephen O'Brien welcomed the statement, although he recognised that "no course of action" would ever be able to make full amends for the injury caused by the use of the drug. He added: "I hope that the minister's statement today will offer them an increased sense of security for the future and give them the prospect of dignity as they grow older." Liberal Democrat spokesman David Heath welcomed the announcement and echoed the minister's tribute to those campaigners that had worked hard on the issue. Source: ePolitix.com Copyright Dod's Parliamentary Communications Ltd
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