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

The review from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, RCOG, has now been published, as the Taoiseach indicated. He stated earlier that this would be a difficult day for the women concerned and their families. I have no doubt it will be. The Taoiseach also expressed the hope that this would be another step along the road to finding out what happened and rebuilding public confidence in our screening programmes. I share that hope.

We have a duty as public representatives to uncover exactly what happened and why, and to rebuild that confidence that we all desire. To do that, not alone do representatives from the RCOG need to appear before the committee, as the Taoiseach indicated, but we need a debate and discussion and an opportunity for questions and answers on the floor of this House as well. Will the Taoiseach specify when he envisages that debate and that opportunity for a question and answer session with the Minister for Health taking place?

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