Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I join Deputy Kenny in marking the significance of the Taoiseach's statement this morning. I welcome the decision he has made. I appreciate how difficult that decision has been for him personally. As the Taoiseach said this morning, it was a decision he made in the best interests of the country, which I accept. It is a course of action I have been advocating to him for some time. In doing so I have always acknowledged the contribution he has made to the political life of this country. In particular I again acknowledge and pay tribute to the enormous personal and political effort he made to bring about a settlement in Northern Ireland. I wish him well personally. I hope he accepts that the political duty I have had to perform was done on a political basis and not on a personal basis. I believe his decision today will enable this House and politics generally to move on to put at the top of our political agenda issues that are of immediate concern to the people of this country.

I want to ask the Taoiseach about one of those issues. While all of us in this House are concerned about the future and in the main the political future generally of parties, individuals and so on, there are many men and women who are concerned about their future in a different way. I speak in particular about those people who have undergone cancer tests and are now uncertain about the results of those tests. Notwithstanding the other concerns he has had in the past few days, I am sure the Taoiseach will be aware of the reports that have been published in recent days, the report from the north-eastern region that thousands of X-rays are now being re-examined, the report into what happened with the misdiagnoses in Barringtons Hospital and the Rebecca O'Malley report, all of which add to the other reports we have had regarding misdiagnoses of cancer tests.

Does the Taoiseach agree with the comment made by Rebecca O'Malley who, when responding to the report in her case, said we really should ensure that Russian roulette is no longer played with patients' safety? Can he give some assurance to people who have either undergone a cancer test or are about to do so that the results of such tests will be accurate?

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