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

Yesterday the sad news broke that Vicky Phelan had passed away. Her two children, Amelia and Darragh have lost their beautiful mother so early in their lives. Our hearts go out to her husband Jim, to her heartbroken parents, Gaby and John, and to Vicky's family and friends who are devastated by her death. The nation mourns with them.

Vicky Phelan was a force of nature. In pursuit of justice she was fearless and relentless. She was unstoppable. If it was not for Vicky's courage, the CervicalCheck scandal may never have been exposed. With inspiring dignity Vicky took on the State that had failed her so badly. It was a battle she should never have had to fight but fight it she did until her very last breath. Vicky endured her illness and she never backed down in campaigning for the women and girls of Ireland. Her legacy will live on. We owe her so much.

Vicky, as has been said, did not want fame or adulation; she wanted purposeful change. The best way to honour Vicky's memory is to complete the work she did. That means bringing the testing of screening samples back to Ireland. Testing continues to be outsourced to labs in the United States at the centre of the CervicalCheck scandal. Currently, 85% of CervicalCheck sample testing is outsourced abroad. The national cervical screening laboratory was due to open in September, yet the women of Ireland are still waiting.

Completing the work also means delivering the long-promised legislation for open disclosure. The Scally review recommended a statutory duty of candour be established to ensure people are told the truth when something goes wrong in their healthcare. Yet, incredibly, the Patient Safety (Notifiable Patient Safety Incidents) Bill published by the Government in 2019 would not cover disclosure of the incidents at the heart of the CervicalCheck scandal. We in Sinn Féin have proposed amendments to rectify this issue but the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly, has for seven months failed to progress the legislation. Again, the women of Ireland have been left waiting. We must also see the reinstatement of the cancer audit review of screening, which was suspended four and a half years ago.

It is the wish of Vicky’s family that these specific issues be raised today because she cared so passionately about this change. Everyone in the Dáil is committed to ensuring that we never again see the failures of the CervicalCheck scandal. We will have to work together to deliver the change that Vicky wanted to see.

Is é an bealach is fearr chun ómós a thabhairt do chuimhne Vicky ná scagthástáil a thabhairt ar ais go hÉirinn agus reachtaíocht a chur i bhfeidhm i gcomhair nochta oscailte. We are all waiting for the national cervical screening laboratory to open. When will this happen? Will the Taoiseach ensure that on its opening, it has the capacity to test all cervical screens conducted in this State? When will the Minister for Health progress the open disclosure legislation? That legislation must be amended to ensure it covers the type of incidents at the centre of the CervicalCheck scandal. The law must provide for open disclosure. Vicky Phelan was very clear. She said:

I want action. I want change. I want accountability.

Let us get this done together for Vicky, for all the women we have lost and for those women who continue to suffer and fight for justice.

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