Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses from the HSE for their presentations. I wish to touch on the perinatal mortality rate, an issue that was raised this morning. I tabled a commencement matter in the Seanad on 14 May on the need for the Minister for Health and the HSE to publish the 2014 perinatal mortality rates for each of the 19 maternity hospitals in view of the recent adverse media coverage on this matter. The Minister replied to me on 14 May, but I have not got the figures for each individual hospital. He stated:

The notification of still births is a mandatory requirement in the Civil Registration Act 2004. This Act was amended in 2014 to make notification of early neonatal death mandatory. The general registration office is working on the commencement of this.

Who is obliged to do the reporting? I am a little confused about the registrations. Is it the hospital or the parents who are obliged to report the death? In his letter of 14 May, the Minister further states: "The general registration office is working on the commencement of this". When is it likely to be commenced so that we have a proper system in place?

Another issue raised in the letter was about clear definitions. I know Professor Greene raised the number of different ways of approaching the issue. Can we have a clear definition at this stage? Are the figures for 2013 available? When is it likely that we will have the figures for 2014 in respect of each of the 19 units?

A report was produced in 2006 about the need for further midwives in Portlaoise. In the body of the report the Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologist recommended that the Coombe Women's Hospital and the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise would work together, yet it took a number of years before that happened. As we have touched on the recommendations in respect of the hospitals in Galway, Ballinasloe, Portlaoise, Cavan, are there recommendations that were made six, seven or eight years ago in respect of other units around the country, that have not been implemented? When are they likely to be implemented? It is important that we do not wait for another tragedy to arise before these recommendations are implemented.

I ask the witnesses to deal with that in the context of other maternity units.

On page 92 of the report on Portlaoise reference is made to access to theatre. Is a solution being proposed for that problem? I understand that access to theatre is also an issue in a number of other maternity units which are sharing theatre space with the general hospital. Have those units been identified and what programme of action is proposed to resolve this difficulty? How many units do not have dedicated theatre space and for how many units will this problem be resolved? When is it proposed to deal with the theatre issue in Portlaoise specifically?