Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Last night, the Minister for Health revealed that there were more than 1,500 additional cervical cases which had not been audited. This shocking and out-of-the-blue revelation confirms that the response to this crisis to date from the Minister and the Department of Health has been neither competent nor comprehensive. It is now two weeks since the Minister was told about the issue and nearly a week since it became public, yet we are still discovering shocking and unsettling new information. The Taoiseach and the Government have had enough time to get on top of this issue and they need to do so urgently.

As Vicky Phelan said last night on "Prime Time", there is no one leading this and the news is changing daily. Ministers have run to the hills and TV programmes have been absent of senior Ministers to explain things to the public. Calm, competent authority is required in response to this crisis. Confidence in the cervical cancer screening programme is being undermined and women throughout the country are fearful and worried. They have been let down. Despite everything, it is worth reminding people that this cervical cancer screening programme has identified up to 50,000 precancerous changes in women without symptoms and has made a very positive contribution to women's health. The most effective route to restoring confidence is to have a competent, comprehensive inquiry that will get to the truth. The precise model is not actually the key. The key is the chair, the personnel and the terms of reference. Yesterday there was more uncertainty. The Government had spoken about a HIQA inquiry while, last night in the middle of a debate, we apparently moved to a commission of inquiry. We urgently need clarity.

This morning we learn from a story in The Irish Timesthat the Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, approved in writing that the director general of the HSE be allowed to take up a lucrative role at a US contraceptive manufacturer. I have no personal axe to grind with Mr. O'Brien, though I did have issues with the manner of his appointment by the then Minister, now Senator James Reilly, in the absence of a public competition. I believe the Minister made a serious error in consenting to this because if there is not a conflict of interest, there is a potential conflict of interest. I do not believe one can be director of the HSE and a member of the board of a health product manufacturer. In addition, the chairman of Evofem, the company in question, is Thomas Lynch who is chair of the board of Ireland East hospital group and the Mater Hospital. It is reasonable to say that a HSE director should devote the whole of his working time to his job as director, as per HSE policy and earlier statements.

Does the Taoiseach believe both positions are reconcilable? Does he agree that the Minister erred in making the decision to give consent to Mr. O'Brien taking this up, two months before he announced that he was going to retire as director general of the HSE in August? What steps is the Taoiseach now going to take to authoritatively deal with this crisis? Could we have some clarity, which is badly needed, on the form of the inquiry being proposed by the Government?

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