Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their contributions. As they will know, the committee heard from Stephen Teap and Lorraine Walsh yesterday. I was particularly struck by Ms Walsh's lack of confidence in the RCOG report. We have had a lot of discussion about the need for confidence in the screening system.

I for one am an advocate of screening. I have taken part in it all my life and I would never undermine the need for it and the recognition that it saves lives. To ask questions is not a mortal sin and, in some ways, the statements that the questioning by others is leading to a lack of confidence are really over-exaggerated. I understand that RCOG has stated that unfounded criticism of its evidence-based report could undermine trust in its findings. The witnesses should probably tell us where that unfounded criticism is coming from. The one critic that I heard here yesterday was Ms Lorraine Walsh. Some people in this room think it is no big deal that in the two most high-profile cases, hers and Vicky Phelan's, the slides were confused-----