Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The response would not have contained parliamentary language. Along with everybody in this House, I have been working in a responsible manner to try to put facts into the public domain and get to a point where we can establish answers for women, care for the women who have been let down and try to ensure we have a screening programme that can be improved as a result of Ms Phelan. This landed this evening.

It is important, however, to specify what this is. I have made the point already but it is important. This does not amount to more people at home with cancer who did not know they had cancer. This does not amount to more people at home who had an audit that was not shared with them. These are people who were not known to CervicalCheck who are on the national cancer registry, who have had a diagnosis of cervical cancer and who have received or are receiving treatment for cervical cancer. They never benefited from the clinical audit process. That is utterly unacceptable.

In light of what is happening this evening, I am very much moving in my mindset in the direction outlined by the Deputy earlier. The Acting Chairman will probably tell me I have run out of time but I would like to interact with Deputies in this House. I heard Ms Phelan make the point during the week that she does not want a long inquiry or tribunal, and I know nobody wants that. HIQA has powers that could bring much good to this and we have used them with a number of other important areas, including the Portlaoise babies scandal and the case of Ms Savita Halappanavar at University Hospital Galway. The authority has got to the bottom of things and made our services safer. I also take the point there may be bigger and wider matters emerging.

How we address this as an Oireachtas and Government is an issue. Perhaps after the meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Health tomorrow we should review where we are at. I am certainly willing to meet representatives of other political parties and groupings, as we have done with other difficult or important national matters, to work out how best to address this. I cannot decide matters for the Government on the hoof on the floor of the Dáil. I nevertheless take the point. I have heard from Deputies Shortall, Daly, O'Reilly, Kelly, Eamon Ryan and a number of other speakers - I apologise if I left out people - about the importance of getting the right mechanism to get answers. I agree with Deputy Shortall that I do not want the mechanism to shut down debate in here or in any committee but it must have teeth.

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