Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

My apologies to Deputy Durkan. Deputy O'Connell will also be added to my list forthwith.

The former director general of the HSE said on RTÉ at the weekend that the commitment to roll out free smear tests has had consequences the Minister did not foresee. With the benefit of more rounded advice, the Minister might have come to a different decision. The director general was not aware that the decision was going to be made or announced. He suggested to the Minister and Department officials that the decision should be walked back as quickly as possible.

My questions arise from that. Looking back on it, is Mr. Breslin now of the view that this person should have been involved in the consultative or thinking process that led to this announcement being made? As to the advice given by a very senior person that it should be walked back as quickly as possible, will he give us an indicative timeline of when that conversation happened and when that advice was given? What processes were in place to start that walk-back? Was it the case that the advice was noted and not acted upon? I will not say that it was ignored. I am curious as to why a decision like that was not discussed at a very senior level. I fully appreciate the pressure that was on people at that time but that pressure was on because of an emerging scandal and because the confidence women are entitled to have in this service had been rocked. The solution to that should have warranted discussion with the most senior person in the HSE.