Mary White (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)

I am glad these reports regarding the breast cancer services at the Midland Regional Hospital have come into the public domain. I hope one positive thing to emanate from the reports is that the Minister and the HSE will know exactly where the problems lay. I am only sorry this lesson will be learned at the expense of women whose lives were turned upside down by the mismanagement and misdiagnosis at the Midland Regional Hospital.

Since I became a Deputy last June, I have been surprised at how much mud-slinging and how many demands for heads I have heard in this House in debates relating to the health service. To make political capital out of the tragedies of other people is unhelpful. The tone of this debate should be like that during a recent debate on autism, when the Opposition thought it was too serious an issue to get politically personal. Opposition Members should do the same in this case to advance confidence in the service, improve the systems and ensure what happened never happens again.

See this speech in context