John Paul Phelan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I too express my sympathy to the families affected by the events covered in the reports we are discussing. I welcome the motion brought forward by Fianna Fáil which, in fairness, seeks to address the serious issues uncovered by the reports. I am not a parent and can only imagine the pain and hurt experienced by any parent who loses a child and his or her exasperation on learning about the substandard treatment and care dealt with in the reports.

Like many others, my interest was drawn to this issue by some of the media reports, particularly those following publication of the recent HIQA report which highlighted the basic lack of humanity demonstrated in a number of specific instances. The Minister has mentioned that investigations are under way and I do not want to get into them.

Everybody is entitled to fair procedure but I believe that patients in hospitals, particularly maternity hospitals, are entitled to be treated with a sense of dignity, respect and empathy, which at least in some of these cases appears to have been dramatically lacking. Perhaps it is symptomatic of a wider difficulty in Irish society that matters that do not directly affect ourselves or a failure in certain institutions, organisations and agencies of the State over the years to take responsibility where errors have occurred do not concern us. I hope that, arising from this discussion tonight, the investigations that are ongoing and the implementation of the recommendations that the Minister has outlined, these incidents will not occur again in the future.

I welcome the Minister's statement that the eight recommendations as they concern both the Department of Health and the HSE are to be implemented. Four relate specifically to the Department. The establishment of an independent patient advocacy service is something that has been spoken about previously. I welcome the fact that it will be acted upon. The development of a national maternity strategy is an issue that has been mentioned often in the past, and I welcome that it will now happen and that the recommendations of previous HIQA reports will be implemented.

I particularly urge the Minister to act on the fourth recommendation on his Department to expedite the necessary legal framework for hospital groups. This is a new initiative introduced by his predecessor, to some degree of controversy at the time. We were told at the time that it would take a period of months for the new networks to bed down and become effective. I urge the Minister to act as soon as he can with regard to implementing that necessary legal framework.

I do not want to correct Deputy Fleming because I do not think he was trying to mislead the House but I understand there are maternity services in South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel. He said earlier that there were no maternity services in Tipperary. There is no doubt that Portlaoise General Hospital covers a much wider hinterland than just Portlaoise and its county of Laois. Deputy Fleming mentioned a lack of maternity services for many years in Carlow, and likewise in Offaly and other parts of the midlands region. That is why it is important that the final four recommendations regarding the HSE, which I will not read - the Minister read them into the record - would be implemented to ensure that parents such as those involved in this tragedy in Portlaoise would never have to face such situations again.

It is important that the Minister placed on the record of the House the fact that the primary issue in regard to Portlaoise does not appear to have been specifically one of resource but more in terms of the care given to the patients, the families, the parents and the children who died. Basic human dignity is not something that the law in general is particularly good at addressing. There might have been an old Irish belief that areas like that did not particularly need to be legislated or regulated for, but the stories that have emanated in this instance about these situations from the general hospital in Portlaoise would indicate that the contrary is the case.

I welcome the fact that the Minister has decided to establish a national women and infants health programme to address and improve maternity services. The provision of maternity services across the country is a very emotive issue, and I welcome the fact that the Minister has indicated that will happen now.

On a personal level I want to express my sympathy to the families concerned and to join with the Minister in thanking those two parents he named who are taking part in the implementation group to try to ensure that the difficulties that have been exposed in this instance never happen again. As a Deputy from a neighbouring constituency I would have to say that most of the stories I have heard about treatment and care in Portlaoise General Hospital over the years have been positive. However, to say that in this particular instance the stories that have emanated from there are unsatisfactory is an understatement. The basic lack of humanity in some of these instances was staggering, and I hope we never have to revisit it again.

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