Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I am conscious that we are talking about another jurisdiction but this committee would have written to the Department. A specialist was coming from London to upskill many of the surgeons in Ireland but we know there was a delay to that individual coming over because of the pandemic. The last correspondence we had said that this upskilling work had gone ahead. Again, this is something the committee can follow up on.

I probably should have made a confession at the start that I have had a mesh implant. I have had cancer. The witnesses spoke about an informed decision. I had to make that decision when all the scandals had broken a number of years ago, particularly about women. I had that long conversation with surgeons about whether it was right for me. I was reading and hearing about the horrific injuries caused by these devices. I am one of the lucky ones but having gone through it, I am conscious of the fact that we need to do more for those failed by the system.

I made a commitment at the start of the meeting that the committee would follow through on this. We will have our next meeting with the HSE but we also said that when we resume in September, we will look again at this. I give a commitment on behalf of the committee that we will follow up on many of the issues raised by the witnesses. Members have made suggestions about what we should do in a review and report on this. I give a commitment on behalf of the committee that we will not stop at today's meeting. Let us look at today's meeting as the start of a conversation and let us hope that those who clearly need supports will find them and that we can clear away some of the barriers.

The Cumberlege report was mentioned. It would be a good starting point. I am conscious that it is a different jurisdiction but for any jurisdiction looking at this issue, and I am thinking about Ireland, the recommendations in the report would be a good starting point for anyone trying to address the issue. It is not about reinventing the wheel. It is about addressing some of the harm that has been done to women and men through the use of these mesh devices. The report has a series of recommendations, many of which would be hard to disagree with.

It recommends a safety commissioner that would be independent, with statutory responsibility, and which would champion the value of listening to patients and promoting users' perspectives and so on. It also addresses the questions of company responsibility, upskilling of people and missing data. Maybe the committee could look at the report and other ways of helping the women represented by today's delegations so they can have a pathway to recovery and care.

Unfortunately, we have run out of time. I hope the witnesses and those in the Gallery found the meeting useful. I hope everyone felt welcome. As I said, we have given a commitment to follow through on the issue and we wish the witnesses well as they move forward in their recovery.