Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I ask the Minister to explain why he chose the route of such narrow parameters for the time period as outlined by Deputy Ó Caoláin. The women concerned have been waiting for years. It is an accepted fact that they were butchered as a result of the twisted theory that women could continue to have baby after baby, year after year, with the connivance of the medical profession and the acquiescence of the State. People gave sighs of relief when the scheme was announced. However, the short time period for making application is a concern.

The requirement to provide a specialist medical report is a difficulty for some women. They do not know how to access such a report. Deputy Ó Caoláin referred to women who will have difficulty making applications to the scheme. I ask the Minister to explain how a poor person with limited means will be able to access specialist medical reports. Only medical consultants will give these reports and State-appointed doctors will not. The scheme will not pay for independent medical reports so this is an attack on less well-off women. The scheme is procedurally flawed. Contrary to the UN human rights committee recommendation the scheme offers no individualised assessment nor any right of appeal. Why is this the case? If people are left out of a scheme, their hurt is compounded. It is a paper scheme with no oral hearings and no right of appeal against the decision of the assessor. People are asking why this is the case.

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