Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour) | Oireachtas source

There is 5% from the last report which proves that what the Minister just said is not exactly accurate, but I will come to that another day. I am chasing the same thing all the time.

The Minister is proposing to deal with this through the instigation of rules and procedures. That is not the same thing. If it was, and it was going to deal with the issues that Deputy Bríd Smith and I have raised, I would work with the Minister on it because I work with him on everything to do with this. What would be perceived is the Minister would be asking the tribunal to deal with this, whereby it would try to measure the instances in which there would be a likelihood of cancer returning and compensating women for that. That is absolutely impossible. I am working 100% with the Minister in this regard, as I have shown for a long time, but I cannot support that because it is impossible. In fact, I do not think it is even a good idea.

I have listened to the Minister's comments on the time period and have reflected on it. However, having a chat with members on telling the tribunal to deal with this matter in its rules and procedures is completely different and is a bad idea. I will not support that.

Should the Minister come back with an amended version of my amendment, and inserting a time period from the time each woman is told of the outcome, is something I will support, as long as the time period is five years, as science has shown. I take on board the Minister's point on this matter. Unless the Minister tables such an amendment, I will be pressing an amendment similar to amendment No. 11 on Report Stage. I believe it should be supported and hope it will be supported. Any fair minded public representative can see that there is an issue, and I accept the point on the way that it is worded. I strongly urge the Minister to work with the Opposition to come up with an amendment.