Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I have so many questions. This is like a big jigsaw with the amount of information coming through. This will be a very difficult day for all the witnesses. It will probably be one of the most difficult days in their careers, and certainly the most difficult day they will spend here. I think we will be here for many hours. I have so many questions and I will not leave here until I have asked them all. I ask the witnesses to be conscious that their own management across the country and the Minister for Health are watching them. I expect that we will get answers that are direct, straight and honest. I agree with the opening sentiments of my colleague, Deputy Cullinane, on information not being provided previously and on the manner in which information was provided to us today.

Vicky Phelan has just tweeted about the drip drip of information, "This has been the gameplan since the #CervicalCheckScandal broke. Drip feed inflammatory documents fo try to water down the effect of the cover up." These are Vicky Phelan's words at 9.38 a.m. this morning. She says to me to "Please take them to task on this and demand answers". She says that the documents are to try to water down the effect of the cover up. I thought that should be read into the record.

I want to start by saying something to the acting director general. I thought yesterday that we had found somebody who would act in a manner of candour and in a certain way to get information. I genuinely did but I am concerned about his statement today and how it differentiates from the statement yesterday. I will tell him why. At the end of the first document, in point 3, he says "If there is a requirement to hold individuals to account on a personal basis we will do so. In that respect the Scally Inquiry and subsequent inquiries will be important". It changes today and starts adding in the information relating to Vicky, Stephen and so on. I would have thought the testimony Mr. Connaghan heard yesterday would have elevated this. He is aware of the testimony. Being aware of it is not good enough for me. This is a live issue. There are people in Mr. Connaghan's organisation who are responsible for this. Some of them may sit among us. When Stephen sat in either Mr. Connaghan's or Mr. McCallion's seat yesterday, he said he did not understand how they were still in place and how they were not stood down because of the impact their management and decision-making had on women in this country. I think Mr. Connaghan has an opportunity. We are public representatives but I have gone beyond the politics of this.

I will never forget yesterday's testimony for the rest of my life. I cried through it. She said she would not stop over her dead body. They want and need accountability. Stephen was very clear on this. They represent society. They do not just represent themselves but society. They go beyond. They are better representatives than us. The Irish political system has let these people down. It is a stain on all our houses. It is a stain on my party, on Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin, the Independents and Social Democrats. It does not matter who one is - it is a stain on us all. There will be the Scally inquiry and I am entirely behind that. There will be a commission of investigation, as I have said all along. This is a live issue and there is a huge amount of pressure and responsibility on Mr. Connaghan's shoulders to deal with this issue in an ongoing way. He will have to make decisions based on the evidence he has heard and the knowledge he has.

I know what is going on in the HSE. Across the HSE are phone calls, meetings, people going in for cover, verifications of documents, verifications of whether people replied or not. In the last three or four weeks, most people in this room and many outside of it have been doing all the work except this. This has been it for the HSE - arse-covering. That is what is happening. The responsibility is with Mr. Connaghan. Our faith has to be with him to deal with this as a live issue. Bear in mind what Stephen and Vicky said last night, not what we are saying. We will have questions and will pull out more information. Please do that because I have not seen it yet. The Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, is watching this as well and I would ask Simon, who is a very good person, to bear in mind what I just said. I asked witnesses here yesterday why Mr. Liam Woods and Mr. Patrick Lynch were not able to come. In fairness to Mr. Woods, he is here. Mr. Patrick Lynch, on the organisational chart, is the national director for quality assurance and verification. That is risk and quality assurance. He was working on Monday. Why is he not here?