Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

The offer of having this dealt with on Tuesday is not satisfactory. I accept entirely that there may well be matters in these reports of a sensitive and private nature and which cannot be discussed in public. However, in this instance, as I understand it, it was the Minister of State, Deputy Barry Andrews, who identified the family publicly, not anybody on the Opposition benches. I do not accept that it is not possible for the Minister of State to assemble the basic information that the House requires on this. Deputy Kenny and I have asked some basic questions, including when the children died - that is straightforward - what stage are the respective reports at, why in respect of children who died a number of years ago have the reports not been completed, when they will be completed and how they will be handled. We have also asked whether recommendations were contained in the reports and, if so, whether they have been put into the system.

What type of recommendations have been made and are some still outstanding? I do not accept that the Minister of State is not in a position to get such information from the HSE. If he is not in a position to so, the relationship between the Minister of State with responsibility for children and the HSE is extraordinary, as is the handling of the situation. This matter must be dealt with. As today is Thursday, there will be an entire weekend of public commentary, etc., on this issue. It is not in anyone's interest, including that of the Minister of State, to leave this matter without being dealt with and not addressed between now and next Tuesday.

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