Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputies on all sides of the House for contributing to this constructive and very important debate and questions and answers session. Regardless of any statutory or other inquiry that we set up, it is very important that the women of Ireland saw that the Oireachtas has spent so many hours rightly discussing this issue in a constructive fashion to determine how the facts will be established, how a better screening programme will be delivered, how we will get answers for the women who need and deserve them, and how we will ensure accountability in that regard.

I assure the House of my determination to work with Members on all sides of the House to devise the best possible mechanism to get the answers the women of this country need and deserve in the most expeditious manner possible. The Joint Committee on Health will tomorrow have an opportunity to scrutinise in detail several of these issues with representatives of my Department, the HSE, the national cancer control programme and CervicalCheck. It is an important opportunity as we continue our work as an Oireachtas. I hope that, thereafter, we can have a cross-grouping bipartisan engagement on how to ensure that we have a statutory inquiry which can get answers in a quick and expeditious manner while also having enough of an ambit or remit to address all necessary issues.

I wish to end as I began, by thanking Vicky Phelan for her courage. However, I know that she does not want platitudes from me or anybody else but, rather, she wants action. I wish to assure her that we have started taking swift actions and I hope Members will work together to take several more swift and decisive actions in the coming days, including: mandatory open disclosure legislation; the establishment of a statutory inquiry; a protocol on information such that any woman who wants a repeat smear test can get one; moving towards HPV testing in October of this year; and ensuring that women are automatically informed of information to do with their own medical records. Ms Phelan stated outside the court and to me that she wished to ensure something good comes from the horrific situation that has been experienced by her, her family and now, sadly, other families. I wish to assure her and all Members that I will work day and night to ensure that happens.

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