Marc MacSharry (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I was most interested in the first version of March 2016, which the director general had. Having read it, I am shocked and it is not manufactured shock. This reads like a letter of containment. It states that screening "is not 100% accurate" and that CervicalCheck "cannot give a 'yes' or 'no' answer". I have a problem with the statement that there is, "always a risk that in communicating individual case reports to clinicians of an individual patient reacting by contacting the media if they feel that 'screening did not diagnose my cancer'." The memorandum continues: "Most importantly during the course of the clinical audit to date no systematic quality problem of concern has been identified." That is a concern.

The document subsequently states: "One of the cytology laboratory providers has sought legal advice into the right of the programme to communicate audit outcomes." The laboratories obviously had an issue with anyone being told the truth.

The memorandum continues:

The programme is liaising with legal team. This is not an impediment to moving forward with formal communication of audit outcomes.

It then sets out the next steps - this is frightening stuff - which are as follows: "await advice of solicitors"; "Decide on the order and volume of dispatch to mitigate any potential risks"; and - here we go - "Continue to prepare reactive communications response for a media headline that 'screening did not diagnose my cancer'." CervicalCheck was concerned about media reaction rather than individuals who had been falsely informed they were healthy when they could have taken remedial steps such as those we have heard about in recent weeks. The director general stated earlier he found the memorandum reassuring. If that is reassuring, it is the clearest indictment the committee and perhaps the House more generally has heard of the culture of containment, bury, suppress and protect ourselves at all costs.

I did not bother to read the two follow-up memorandums but I scanned them. The memorandum issued in March 2016 and, according to his own testimony, the director general did nothing about it from that date until he heard about it on the news. The policy of continuing "to prepare reactive communications response for a media headline that 'screening did not diagnose my cancer'" was very successful for two years because everybody, including the media, were kept in the dark for two years until the director general heard it on the news. Frankly, this is an indictment of the Minister, the Taoiseach, the Secretary General, the HSE director general and everyone else associated with this issue and are taking wages paid by the income tax from the people. The absence of humanity, compassion and accountability is a disgrace and I hope Mr. O'Brien, wherever he is en route to meetings in Limerick today, hears loud and clear that he should resign and allow us to reflect on whether the Minister, the Secretary General, I am afraid to say, and others also have to go. This memorandum, which has been in circulation for two years, indicts many more people than its author. I am disgusted. I have no further questions because what we need now are actions from so-called leaders who, in reality, are nothing more than commentators.