Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)

I appreciate the Minister of State's response and welcome the commitment in the programme for Government regarding the women who were outside the original scheme. The removal of ovaries and the crude withdrawal of the ability to reproduce is difficult for any woman to accept but it is particularly difficult in cases where such procedures are not clinically necessary. These are challenging circumstances for the women involved, many of whom reside in my constituency. In light of the impact this process has had on the women and their families, I ask the Minister of State to bring a sense of urgency to the matter. I recognise that she understands the sensitivities involved but I do not want the Attorney General to review the issues arising in perpetuity or the views expressed by the Minister and departmental officials to disappear into a black hole in her office. That has happened too often. These women need closure and justice must be done for them and their families.

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