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

That is not true and the Taoiseach did not answer my question.

Was the Taoiseach made aware of the serious developments by the Minister, particularly regarding the validity of a significant number of tests that had been rendered null and void because of the delay? Normally, the virus would be tested for within ten days, yet people are facing six-month delays. This was discovered last year but not revealed by the Minister or anyone. In essence, that information has been withheld. That is why the service was discontinued. The Minister's decision went against expert advice that warned him repeatedly that this would damage the entire programme. It is my understanding and information that the programme is in jeopardy because of this and that further significant decisions and communications will have to occur.

I asked the Taoiseach whether he had been made aware of this by the Minister. Will he please answer that question? I asked him about the rationale behind the Minister's decision, which went against repeated expert advice that this was not clinically warranted and would damage the efficacy of the entire programme.

Have we learned any lesson? The withholding of information and the secrecy and denial that were part of the first phase of this scandal are being repeated yet again in the lack of upfront honest responses to parliamentary questions, the ducking and diving, the papering over of cracks and the subsequent covering up. We are now being led to believe that the decision to close down just evolved in December.

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