Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I see validity in a HIQA inquiry. It has a track record, has built up significant expertise and has statutory underpinning. Under section 9(2) of the Health Act 2007 it has done a lot of good work, when it had those "teeth", for example, on the Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise, and the death of Savita Halappanavar. In respect of Portlaoise it not only produced a report but was then able to prove that, as a result of the report, maternity services were safer and better in the hospital. It has demonstrated great independence and an ability to do the work.

I am not, however, closing my mind to what other Deputies are suggesting in good faith. We should work on a cross-party basis in this respect. If there are concerns about broader issues or problems that cannot be captured by HIQA we should tease them out. That is particularly so in light of the fact that new information has come into the public domain this evening. It is important that we do that. I am open to discussing the sequence and what the different pieces may look like. I want to make sure we can get answers to all the questions that are legitimately being raised here. We could have some very useful engagement on this perhaps as early as tomorrow.

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