Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

There is no doubt that the women come first. It is heartbreaking to hear their stories at first hand, as I did yesterday and on a previous occasion, and to hear of the experience of so many women, many of them as young as 20 years of age, when this happened. It is just incredible. It is extraordinary, as many have acknowledged, including the Deputy, that this went undetected for so long. That is probably one of the most extraordinary aspects of this sad episode. The cause of the women comes first and that is my main focus at present. In the discussions I had yesterday I gave the women that assurance. They have waited eight years to get to this point and it has taken longer than anybody could have anticipated. However, they, together with everybody else who has read it, welcome the report. They see it as thorough, robust and fair.

Next Monday, I hope to meet Judge Maureen Harding Clark. She is currently in The Hague and will return to Ireland on Monday. I am anxious to hear her ideas about routes for compensation. The Government has not formalised any compensation scheme but the Taoiseach and I have acknowledged that we want to do this. I want to do it as quickly as possible. I certainly do not want the affected women to be forced to take the legal route to get compensation in this case. In any event, given that 44 files have been stolen, it would not be possible for those women ever to vindicate their rights through the judicial process. We have, therefore, an obligation to ensure they are taken care of.

I am happy to ensure the report goes to the Oireachtas Committee on Health and Children after the debate next Wednesday. I have already arranged to meet the Medical Council on Monday to discuss the report. I am not aware of any recommendation that will not be implemented or cannot be acted upon. I have not had an opportunity to study all the recommendations but it is my intention to take on board the recommendations of Judge Maureen Harding Clark. In all the circumstances, they are reasonable.

Yesterday, my meetings with four members of the medical board of the hospital and, separately, with the management of the hospital were focused on putting the remaining recommendations relating to that unit into effect as quickly as possible. John O'Brien from the national hospitals office in the HSE and his team will be in the hospital next week to put a process in place to make that happen as quickly as possible.

See this speech in context