Dr. Tony Holohan:

I am aware of the comments that were made. I heard them. I stated earlier that we regard the input and the role of patient representatives as important to the work that we do in the Department in particular relating to the work that we have done as part of this committee. I have seen the comments that have been made.

I am aware that people are not in a position to express confidence and they have said so publicly in relation to the findings. I do not want to discuss individual cases but if I was in a situation where two separate errors in respect of myself had been made in a review, if I am honest, I would find it difficult to express any level of confidence in that report as an individual and as it relates to me, and that is no criticism of the RCOG process. It is a different matter entirely for me to conclude then, or to advise Government or advise anybody, that the remainder of the report is something that I have a doubt about in terms of confidence, even if I can fully understand how that might feel for an individual who has been the subject of those errors. I have enormous sympathy for that. I took the opportunity earlier on to pay tribute to the individuals, who were with the committee last night and who gave evidence, for the work that they have done over the past 18 months with us and with the HSE to make the progress that we have made, and we are not all the way down the road that we want to be in terms of implementation of the findings of Scally, or indeed the other reports that we now have in front of us.