Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Individual claimants, survivors to this day of a barbaric procedure performed on them without their consent or understanding, before, during and, in some cases, after childbirth have been speaking out regarding their personal experience and the experience of other women known to them who have presented before the Government's payment scheme to these victims and have, in their own words, had their lifelong pain compounded by the experience.

These women spoke of a process that is challenging and, despite the Minister's claims, adversarial. It appears to lack compassion or understanding and for some it has been demeaning. The former judge, Ms Clarke, who is the sole overseer of the process, has described women subjected to symphysiotomy as making a full recovery over a relatively short period of time and with no continuing ill effects. Neither of these claims stands up to Irish or international scrutiny. In some cases she has looked for a pathological gap in the pelvis in a belief this would represent objective evidence of injury even though the High Court accepted in a recent case there is not necessarily a link between such a gap and the pelvic pain that is a reality for many of these women.

I ask the Minister what steps he will take to address the inappropriate disposition of Ms Clarke in the carrying out of her role and to ensure that all women victims presenting before her are treated to true compassion and respect rather than made to face a process that is nakedly operated to keep payments to the lowest possible level, which in some cases is nothing.

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