Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

As with the Deputy, I have been contacted by many people in this situation and there have been some really sad stories. For some people it is frustrating that mums, dads and partners cannot get in for scans. We have also been made aware, as I am sure the Deputy has, of really traumatic situations where things have gone wrong during birth and the partners cannot get in then either, at a time when the women really need the support. It is very difficult. On the back of representations that were made by the Deputy and others, we asked the clinical leads to take a look and come up with national guidelines. They are doing that. We have asked that, within the context of clinical safety, anything that can be done is done, particularly in the most heartbreaking and serious of cases. There is a balance to be struck whereby, whatever local calls are made by maternity services, I need to back them up. If one looks at the infection rates in the maternity services relative to some other parts, they are very low. They have taken a hard-core attitude but in terms of keeping mothers and babies safe, they appear to have done a very good job. However, we have to try to find a balance on compassionate grounds as well.