Gerry Adams (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Portlaoise report was not the first time we heard about these issues. My question was why the recommendations were not acted on. This is too serious an issue for us to play politics with. What is the point of HIQA? The Taoiseach may claim he did not know about the recommendations. I walked across the Chamber and handed him a letter from HIQA which detailed the recommendations it made in the Tallaght report. It made other recommendations regarding the Savita Halappanavar case, and they were not acted on. The Taoiseach has said the Government will act on them. We are being told the problems are being found in other hospitals, including Cavan General Hospital. Contrary to the Taoiseach's response to the earlier question about the Minister for Health and an investigation, although last May the Minister said he wanted a HIQA investigation into Cavan hospital in addition to the investigation into Portlaoise hospital that was ongoing, he never formally ordered the investigation and therefore there was no review. Why was there no review? Why did the Minister not act on his public statement and follow through, as was his responsibility?

I constantly make the case here that the Government's austerity policies are decimating the health services. Now, we can see the outworking of the dysfunctional approach which does not see health as a public service and an entitlement of citizens. One example is the fact that an extra 600 midwives are required and that the number of midwives available to pregnant women is dangerously low. How many more damning HIQA reports will be ignored? When will the Government publish legislation to extend the remit of HIQA, as the Minister promised? Will the Taoiseach take the opportunity to reassure people? People know the recommendations were not acted on. It is always better to give people what the Taoiseach has mentioned many times, namely, clarity and information. Will the Taoiseach take the opportunity to explain why the Minister, Department and HSE failed to implement HIQA's recommendations? None of the Ministers for Health involved in any of the HIQA reports disagreed with the recommendations. They all said they would act on them. However, they did not. The Dáil and the citizens, particularly pregnant women, deserve an explanation.

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