Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach has not told me when the examination of the 3,000 slides will begin. I could also reflect on the Taoiseach's confirmation that the Scally report will be produced in its own good time. I am not challenging the process, which has to be independent.

I would have thought that a Government that understood the urgency and seriousness of these matters would give one direction to Mr. Scally and every agency concerned, namely, to proceed with urgency and efficiency. The Government should resource those carrying out the work so this can be achieved. Members will know that the Scally team had great difficulty in accessing information from the HSE in the first instance. I will not revisit all that.

More importantly, I want the Taoiseach to indicate to the affected women when the 3,000 smear test slides will be examined. When will the commission of inquiry be established? Is it a certainty for September? I want the Taoiseach to tell me what he is going to do about the fact that women still cannot gain access to their medical files. I want him to state how it is defensible, given everything that has happened, that women are still forced into the courts to fight their corner to get their information.

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