Dan Neville (Limerick, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses. For somebody who is quite distant from this, one's first concern is whether this is happening in isolation or in other places. Hopefully, it is rare but I would be surprised if it is isolated. The Minister said that other maternity services are being examined. When are we likely to get the results of that examination? That would ease many of the concerns among the public about the maternity service. Undoubtedly, this has put a question mark over all the maternity services, regardless of how unfair that might be. How long was the governance and system of delivery of service, as the investigation found it, taking place? Was it recent, ongoing or historical? If it was not historical, what triggered it? Did events trigger it? Was it a change in staff? What change occurred to trigger what happened?

What is the reason for not informing the family of what happened? Was there a reason or was it just neglect? We find this in other parts of the health service. There is a reluctance to inform families and carers when people are in need of care.

Finally, in most sections of the old health boards, including the health board in the mid-west, there was a clear complaints procedure. We all used it from time to time in respect of people who had complaints about the service they were given. Was a complaints procedure available to the people and families who suffered so much in this instance? Was it operating or were they made aware of such a procedure? What was the response if they did use the complaints procedure?