Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My understanding is that the Minister wrote to HIQA on 14 May requesting that the authority prioritise the monitoring of the maternity unit in Cavan against the national standards for safe and better health care as part of the overall response to the chief medical officer's report into Portlaoise maternity services. HIQA includes Cavan in its response and as part of a national analysis of the standards that apply in the 19 maternity units around the country.

The Deputy recalls the tragedy of Mrs. Halappanavar and the number of reports that were produced following her death in Galway. The HIQA report on Portlaoise was damning in its findings and it is the first time management has been the subject of a report on its competence, or incompetence as the case may be. That report, with its eight recommendations for both the Department of Health and the HSE, has been accepted in full by both bodies and will be implemented in full. In fact the work has already started.

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