Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I accept the Taoiseach and the Government regret the circumstances of this unfortunate woman's death. I am sure he wants to get the facts and we are not at odds about that. However, it is not fair to put the onus on Mr. Halappanavar in these matters. The Taoiseach stated that he conceded to Mr. Halappanavar's wishes but that was all done through dealing with what has been said in the media. As I stated yesterday, nothing beats, at the appropriate level, direct prior consultation with this family. We and the Government must respect Mr. Halappanavar's decision if he decides not to meet anyone. He is not satisfied with the way this is being conducted and, because there has been no direct or prior consultation with him, we cannot blame him. I would also suggest - I am not authorised to speak for anybody except the Sinn Féin Party - that through the media is not the way to communicate with anybody in those circumstance.

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