Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)

On the various reports into breast cancer services at Portlaoise, Harry S. Truman had a sign on his desk which said "The buck stops here". It appears that for the Government the buck stops anywhere other than on the desks of those who occupy the Front Bench. Will the Government facilitate a debate on a motion by means of which we might seek to identify who was responsible in respect of this matter? We encourage teenagers getting ready for later life to take responsibility. Are those in Government just a bunch of teenagers who could do with some parental advice on taking responsibility for some of the messes over which they have presided?

Saturday next is International Women's Day. This is a sombre time. What happened to the women at Portlaoise is upsetting for every female, particularly in the context of what it implies in the context of being tested and then receiving false positive or false negative results. This is a difficult time for families throughout the country. The idea that the Government is trying to skirt around this issue makes matters doubly difficult.

Given the advent of International Women's Day, it is important to note that 138 women have been murdered — most of them, apparently, by their partners and husbands — since 1996. Is the Government giving consideration to introducing legislation to allow the presentation of victim impact statements in cases where people have died——

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