Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairman for this opportunity to speak at the committee. As a Laois person, I am sad that we are here again. I thank all the parents for the perseverance they have shown over the period, as otherwise we would not be here.

I have a few straightforward questions which were referred to earlier. Mr. Quinn said that he could not say the service in Portlaoise hospital was safe. By what date does he expect to be able to say it is safe? The Government said yesterday that it hopes to have some of the recommendations implemented by the end of the year, but 1,200 to 1,500 more babies will be born there in the meantime. Where is the position for patients going into that hospital? Surely HIQA cannot just ask it to draw up a timetable. That is not adequate; HIQA should be setting the timetable.

Second, the memorandum of understanding between the Coombe hospital and Portlaoise hospital is welcome, but will Mr. Quinn explain how that will integrate with the maternity unit and the rest of the Portlaoise hospital? There is an impression that the maternity unit and general management at the hospital have been operating on parallel tracks.

Will Mr. Quinn comment on the physical resources and structure of the ward in Portlaoise hospital which resulted in a situation in which mothers in labour were in the same room as mothers who had just suffered the loss of a baby? It is inhumane that this should have occurred. One mother was grieving while another mother about to enter that ward was afraid that what happened to that mother would happen to her next. I am not a female, but I know it would be horrific to be in that position. Perhaps the physical resources of the hospital were unsuitable.

The State Claims Agency has €1 billion provided in its annual accounts primarily for obstetric claims. Mr. Quinn is aware of that. Up to €1 billion is provided, and that amount is contained in its published figures. When HSE delegates appear before the Committee of Public Accounts and we ask them about medical negligence, they tend to say that the State Claims Agency manages it and the agency sends the HSE the bill, which could be €60 million or €90 million this year depending on the outcome and the amount of time spent in court. They say it has nothing to do with the HSE and that it just pays the bill. That procedure has divorced the HSE from direct concern for and day-to-day management of cases. The HSE washes its hands of it the day the case goes to the agency, and the HSE sends a cheque every so often when it gets a bill. That demarcation is harmful. Lessons should have been learned. Is Mr. Quinn satisfied that those in senior management in the HSE, who knew about these life-and-death issues, are probably still in their positions? They should not be there; they should be on administrative leave today. HIQA should have had that recommendation in its report. Given that there are no adequate disciplinary procedures in place, that finding should have been recommended.

This investigation happened as a result of a "Prime Time" programme. Had those parents not gone to "Prime Time," would Mr. Quinn be here today? Where was HIQA's proactive role in this? Surely Mr. Quinn is not waiting for a Minister to telephone and ask him about a matter before he agrees that HIQA will carry out an investigation? HIQA is in place to do that without being asked. I am sorry to be a bit strong on Mr. Quinn in this respect, but he can understand the point. I am not in any way criticising anything, but HIQA could have been a bit more proactive.