Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Tomorrow, the Irish people will have the opportunity to vote either to repeal or retain the eighth amendment. It is essential now to reiterate that no change in our law is possible unless people vote "Yes" tomorrow to repeal the amendment. The last minute scramble by some in the past 48 hours to suggest that it is possible is an attempt at a con job about which we have to be very clear.

The campaign is drawing to a close but whatever the result, the focus will remain on women's health. The scandal that has engulfed CervicalCheck shows a need for the Government to go back to basics on public health information. Through this scandal we have learned more about the science of screening and the limits of that science.

We have also seen the human side and how false negative results have led to terrible family tragedies. It would be an appalling outcome if people stopped believing in the efficacy of screening and stopped attending for screening. Screening and vaccination programmes have been incredibly important in reducing serious illness and premature death. They are imperfect tools but if done properly and properly funded, they are tools that undoubtedly save many lives. Scandals such as that involving CervicalCheck do not just affect a small number of women. They affect all women and men because they undermine public confidence in screening in general. They naturally cause concern. Sadly, cervical cancer claims around 90 women's lives every year in Ireland.

It is heartening to think that if the right public health policies are pursued, the potential is there to eradicate most cases of that disease. A report from the co-creator of the HPV vaccine, Dr. Ian Frazer, argues that most cases of cervical cancer could be eliminated over a period of time if a thorough vaccination programme was implemented. I am glad the Minister for Health agreed a Labour Party motion earlier this year to extend the HPV vaccine to boys as well as girls, which was one of the recommendations made by Dr. Frazer. It is a positive take up of that vaccine that could make an extraordinary difference yet rolling out the vaccine is not enough. We know that the national uptake of vaccines fell by 3% last year. This involves vaccines such as the ones that prevent tetanus and diphtheria and puts children's lives at risk. Common childhood diseases such as measles are coming back. These are not minor diseases. Before vaccination, 2.5 million people died from measles annually worldwide. We saw an outbreak of 1,600 cases of measles last year in Dublin resulting in three deaths.

There is a pressing need to restore public confidence and full participation across all our screening and vaccination programmes. Does the Government accept that this is the case? Specifically, what will the Government do? Does the Tánaiste agree that a co-ordinated and clear campaign of action to restore confidence in both our screening systems and increase the uptake of vaccination is now urgently required?

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