Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the panel and thanks its members for their presentations. The written submissions contain an extensive exposé - that is the appropriate description - of the issues and areas the witnesses have addressed. It would be appropriate to refer both of the documents on unregistered practitioners of cosmetic surgery and the document prepared by the Irish College of Ophthalmologists directly to the Minister for Health. It is important that the substantial detail provided in these documents should not be parked at this point for the joint committee to edit before submission. My first proposition is that they be submitted urgently and in their entirety.

Some time ago, several of the so-called PIP women appeared before the joint committee. They will not take offence at my use of that term to describe them as it is one they themselves have used.

The reason I am particularly anxious that both submissions be forwarded to the Minister and his Department is because I do not want to see another group of women being exploited in this way or being placed in the most dangerous of situations. That is not an exaggeration. The examples cited by Mrs O'Donnell in her submission are horrendous. I can understand the pressures that can apply and how people can feel compelled to take particular actions, but they are doing so without any proper advice of the possible consequences and, what is worse, are placing themselves in the hands of people who are not qualified to do what they suggest they can do. That laser treatment of skin cancer is being undertaken by beauty therapists with no medical or nursing training is horrendous. It is also crazy that qualified doctors are carrying out particular procedures despite their having no surgical qualification.

On the breast implant issue, I am aware, the representatives of PIP having appeared before this committee, that there is no breast implant registry in Ireland, which is a serious deficiency. One would think, given the rounded assessment of all that happened in this area, that the lessons would have been learned. What happened occurred not only because the implants used were deficient but also because there were serious deficiencies in the provider sector in this country, even to the point that they could close their doors and walk away, leaving people high and dry, and they have done so. That this period of time has elapsed and we still do not have a registry or any signalled intent of the imposition of such restriction is a serious matter.

I have no specific questions for the delegates as this is not a question issue. What the organisations have done is, once again, alerted this committee to a situation that should not maintain in Ireland today. Women are the target. It is unacceptable that despite this issue having been addressed, although I acknowledge not in the same detailed and focused way, the problem areas continue. As I said, the committee should forward both submissions to the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, and urge that he and his Department take appropriate action and engage with the HSE post haste.