John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On the maternity issue, I will read an extract from an email. In the past 24 hours we have been inundated with contacts from constituents who knew the HSE officials were due to appear before the committee today. This is a further chapter in the kinds of emails we have been getting for months from expectant mothers and their husbands and partners. The email states:

Dear John,

I'm emailing while lying in a hospital bed in a maternity hospital, not at all where I want to be, but unfortunately, I'm experiencing some pregnancy complications and require hospital care and monitoring. I'm alone. I'm lonely. I'm scared. I'm vulnerable. I'm anxious. I'm angry. I'm confused. I'm not hopeful...

I sat in there corridor today and watched people come and go alone. Partners carry bags to the door and kiss you good-bye. It is really hard and unfair...

Today I watched someone deliver devastating news to their family in a car park, family members standing around crying and going through the worst moment while right beside them delivery trucks were coming and going, builders coming and going and new parents were loading their babies into cars.

While I appreciate Mr. Reid responding to us in his opening statement, I do not think it is strong enough to say that the HSE has recently asked all maternity hospitals and units to review their approach again. Aside from the obvious issues he replied to, the CMO has said there is no good reason partners cannot accompany pregnant women either to prenatal appointments or in labour. How many hospitals are not complying with this? The Minister is getting all the flak for this. Much of the content of the emails is directed personally at him. Based on what I have heard at our parliamentary party meetings, I know neither the Minister nor the Taoiseach could do anything more than they are doing. How many maternity hospitals are affected? How many are complying and how many are not? How long will the review take? What are the obstacles?