Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witnesses to the meeting. I remind members, witnesses and those in the Public Gallery to switch off their mobile phones as they interfere with the broadcasting of these proceedings. Today, the committee has requested the attendance of officials from the Health Information and Quality Authority, HIQA, to discuss its investigation into the safety, quality and standards of service provided by the HSE to patients in the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise. The HIQA report published last week examines patient safety and maternity services at Portlaoise. One of the roles of this committee is to ensure accountability on the part of the Department of Health and associated bodies, including the HSE, and on that basis, the committee requested an early meeting with HIQA to discuss its findings and recommendations. Committee members have discussed the report in private session and pending today's deliberations, it is fair to say that this is only the first step in the process of our committee dealing with this report. I thank Mr. Quinn, Ms Dunnion and Mr. Whelan from HIQA for coming today. I also wish to thank the families affected by this report for their tenacity, courage and bravery. They are meeting the Minister for Health, Deputy Varadkar, this afternoon to discuss the report.

The report raises a number of fundamental issues around governance, accountability, hospital standards and resources. As I already implied, our discussion today will be followed by a further meeting with the HSE. The committee decided in private session that, irrespective of what happens today, members need to hear from the HSE on this issue. We will also set about hearing from the families affected by this report. We hope that the recommendations of the report are implemented in full. Again, I thank HIQA for facilitating our early request for a meeting. Our key focus must be on the parents, families and children who had a negative experience with our health services and who raised issues of patient safety in maternity units. Our collective aim should be to ensure that we improve our maternity services so that they are safe services in which we can all have confidence.

I welcome Mr. Phelim Quinn, chief executive of HIQA, Ms Mary Dunnion, acting director of regulations at HIQA, and Mr. Marty Whelan, head of communications and stakeholder engagement with HIQA. Before we begin, we have received apologies from Deputies Ciara Conway and Catherine Byrne and Senator Imelda Henry. I wish to advise the witnesses that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, they are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. However, if they are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and they continue to so do, they are entitled thereafter only to qualified privilege in respect of his evidence. They are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, they should not criticise nor make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable. Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the Houses or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

I invite Mr. Quinn to make his opening remarks.