Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to make it clear that my objective here is not political. I am a layperson but, from a preliminary reading of this matter, it seems to me this woman should not have died in these circumstances. I accept that this is a subjective early assessment, but there are a range of issues involved. First, a woman has died in circumstances which are rare in Ireland and, accordingly, an exceptional response, such as an independent inquiry, is required. That does not exclude the internal inquiries that are under way. It might be useful if those involved were aware there was to be an external independent inquiry. Whether we like it or not, people will not have confidence in an internal inquiry. Questions will inevitably be raised about it as, unfortunately, they have been in the past. This is why it is important that an external independent inquiry is established and that it reaches across to the other issues about which one can read in the newspapers and commentary this morning. When the independent report on the A, B and C case is published, people will draw conclusions. That is why we need, above and beyond everything else, a clear, independent clinical inquiry into what happened in this case and why this woman lost her life in such circumstances.

I submit to the Taoiseach that we need that and I call on him to give that commitment to have such an independent inquiry.

See this speech in context