Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

I do not want to get into that yet as I will lose my time and I want to ask the chief medical officer a question. At any stage did the chief medical officer have a discussion with the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, be it a conversation over a cup of coffee or in a corridor, about the Vicky Phelan case in advance of the Minister being formally told through the note he read out in the Dáil last night? Mr. Gleeson kicked it up the line. Who did Mr. Gleeson kick it up the line to? There are two heads of screening; one is the head of the national cervical screening programme, Dr. Gráinne Flannelly, and the other is the national head of screening overall, Charles O' Hanlon. To whom was this kicked up the line and what did they do with the information? Did they at any stage kick it further up the line to the chief medical officer and did he tell the Minister? If he did not, why did he not?