Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)

I cannot say I welcome the opportunity to speak on this motion. It is not a matter on I wish to speak but I feel I have to. I did not say anything when the Ryan report was published and, in a similar way, this issue of Mr. Shine is extremely serious and has had some serious effects on many people. I have not had the same contact with as many people in this case as colleagues from both sides of the House from counties Louth and Meath have had. I have had direct contact with people who are extremely worried and annoyed about this issue. One cannot help but feel for them and wonder how they have survived over so many years without getting any consolation or help. I pay tribute to nurse Bernadette Sullivan of the Dignity 4 Patients group. She has played a major role in helping many of these people to deal with the situation.

Like my colleague from County Louth, Deputy O'Dowd, I pay tribute to Dr. Ambrose McLoughlin, who was an absolutely committed gentleman. He has been a tremendous loss to the health system. We all know why that has happened. He approached me and quietly warned me about what was coming down the tracks in this case, as he did in the Dr. Neary case. It is obvious that these extremely serious issues were not treated seriously by the management of Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital at the time. I have some respect for the hospital, especially as I was born there a small few years ago. It has given the people of the north east a tremendous service, in general, down through the years. The hospital authorities turned a blind eye to this type of thing, however. Perhaps their religious beliefs meant they could not accept that anything like this could take place at the hospital. I do not believe they ignored it on purpose. They just could not believe it. Perhaps they thought people were telling stories to get money or for some other reason.

I would like to refer to an e-mail I have received from one of the people who contacted me about this matter, in which exactly what happened is simply expressed. When the man in question was young, he was brought to hospital when he injured one of his limbs. It was not his actual limb that was handled by Mr. Shine, but his private parts. Can anyone explain the logic or medical reasoning for that? It is unforgivable. That is just one of many examples. It happened on more than one occasion in very difficult circumstances. The man who contacted me has lived with this for his whole life. He did not tell his nearest and dearest about it for many years because he felt he could not do so. His immediate family now knows about it. As a result of the help of his wife and other people, including Bernadette Sullivan, he can now talk about it, at least, and be helped through it. Like the rest of those involved, he wants this to be dealt with quickly by a public inquiry.

I listened with interest last night to the speech made by the Minister, Deputy Harney. It is great that she extended her sympathy to this group. She gave a commitment to examine the matter and have it dealt with as quickly as possible. She mentioned the possibility of establishing an inquiry. I remind the Minister that I have been dealing with these issues for some time. I am not talking about the situation at Monaghan General Hospital, as I would have to stay here all night. I am sure the Leas-CheannComhairle would not allow me to speak about it. Like Deputy Johnny Brady, I was deeply involved in dealing with the Neary case. We got good success for a large number of people in that instance. There is a group that has not been dealt with, however. We were promised on many occasions that it would be dealt with. As I understand it, we have not yet received a ministerial commitment in this regard. It raises questions about the Minister's commitment to finalising these things as quickly as possible. We recently learned that the Neary case cost approximately half of what it was initially expected to cost. There is no justification for not using additional moneys to finalise this case. In that context, I question the guarantee given to the House by the Minister, Deputy Harney, last night. I welcome the fact that her colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, added something to it tonight. The pressure felt as a result of this means it has to be dealt with.

I would like to conclude by referring to an issue I raised on the Order of Business this morning. The Minister, Deputy Harney, used the €2.1 million cost of the Leas Cross inquiry to defend her argument that rushing into inquiries might not be the best thing to do. I urge the Government to deal with the justice system as it has dealt with the rest of the public service. Public servants at the lowest grades have had to accept income reductions as a result of levies and charges, etc. For years, we have been promised that a Bill will be brought before this House to reduce legal charges. Despite the cost of all the tribunals, etc., nothing has been done. If something were done about legal charges, we would not have to worry as much about the cost of an inquiry into this affair. I thank Deputies Reilly and Jan O'Sullivan for jointly tabling this motion. It is an example of the unity that is needed on this side of the House and across the floor. An inquiry must be established if these people are to be given the justice and peace of mind they need, after 30 years in some cases.

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