Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I wish to bring to the attention of Mr. O'Brien that in an interview on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning, Emma Mhic Mhathúna stated that her obstetrician, of whom she was very complimentary, told her that had the false negative been communicated at the time, it is likely that she would not be in the position in which she now finds herself. I acknowledge that Mr. O'Brien has not heard that very powerful interview. We can discuss these failures as though they are academic but the situations in which this woman and others find themselves is far from academic. It is a catastrophic failure for her and the Health Service Executive as a consequence.

I acknowledge the realities of population-based screening. We understand that screening gives indications. When one gets an indication of something that requires further scrutiny, one is referred on. The people who chose whether to communicate or not communicate the information made a decision not to do so. Those people, who are clinicians, were playing with people's lives in not so communicating. What has Mr. O'Brien done about that in terms of the chain of command?