Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The seriousness of this is not underestimated. The Minister, Deputy Reilly, as a family doctor, was struck hard by the revelations in the RTE programme. That is why on Sunday he spent six hours in the company of a number of the parents.

Clearly, this system did not measure up here. The culture, in so far as the treatment of the mothers to be was concerned, was not what one would expect.

As a first step, what the Minister has commissioned is the right approach - namely to get the Chief Medical Officer to furnish him with an immediate report.

Last October the HIQA report on the death of Savita Halappanavar - God rest her - made recommendations on the safety, quality and standards of services for critically ill patients, including critically ill pregnant women. These recommendations are being implemented in full across the country. HIQA is completely independent in the way it does its business, but the first step is to allow the Minister to receive the report from the Chief Medical Officer. He is engaging with the parents concerned and the HSE will meet all of them. The Chairman of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Health and Children has received a letter from the Minister, following his interest in this issue, expressing his grave concerns about a number of matters, a few of which the Deputy has mentioned. All of these issues need to be dealt with. There is a need for openness, communication and absolute transparency leading to trust and belief in the country's maternity services and safety for the women involved.

I know that Deputy Micheál Martin has not raised this matter in a party political way; it is an issue that transcends politics. It is about life, health, belief, standards and integrity which the Minister will ensure will apply in this case. I thank the Deputy for the way in which he has raised the matter.

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