Mr. Ollie Kelly:

I join Deputies in congratulating the Molloys on what they have done. Unfortunately we are here as evidence that management and staff of the HSE failed to listen or to follow recommendations from inquests and from the report into baby Mark's death. Had they listened, our little girl would be here today. So too would baby Síofra and the damage done to another little baby would have been avoided. It has been tough on us to come in here today. I ask Deputies to bear with me because I am a little nervous.

We, like all other families, were led to believe that we were the only ones. I have heard Mark and Róisín Molloy speak about trying to make the services better. We met hospital representatives in December after Mary Kate passed away. They led us to believe we were the only ones and that they never wanted to see anything like this happen again in Portlaoise. We found out later, through the investigation into Portlaoise, that there were many baby deaths. In the period between baby Mark's death and the death of Mary Kate, another baby died. Ours is known as the fifth case but another little girl died in November 2013.

At all levels there were opportunities to learn, flags being raised and alarm bells going off but they failed. They failed us and they let us down unbelievably when Amy went into that hospital. A hospital is supposed to be a safe place; it is where you go to be cared for but she was not cared for. The fact that management knew that the hospital was unsafe but let that continue is unforgivable. Deputies spoke abut Cavan General Hospital and other hospitals throughout the country. The HSE has governance over all of the hospitals but it let this happen. That is so hard for us to cope with.