David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

More than two years ago, 18 distraught families learned that their children's organs had been sent to Belgium for incineration without their knowledge or consent. The South/Southwest Hospital Group was to complete and publish a report on the incidents at Cork University Maternity Hospital with the involvement of the affected families. In September 2020, the Minister for Health encouraged families to participate in the review. He stated, "the hospital group has committed to completing it by early November." It was not even commenced until April of the following year and promised again for November last year. It is now November 2022 and there is still no final report. A commitment was given that the families would get a draft copy of the report by the end of September at the latest. This morning, however, we learned that these families have been locked out of the process and that they will not get a first look at the report. That is shameful.

Sparked by that incident, an audit of organ retention and disposal practices was commissioned by the HSE. That report examined multiple hospitals and was completed far in advance of the report into Cork University Maternity Hospital. It found that similar unethical practices were taking place in Limerick, Drogheda, Galway, Tullamore, Portiuncula and Crumlin. Worst of all, it found that a single consultant named by "RTÉ Investigates" earlier this year, but known as Consultant A, was responsible for a significant amount of this malpractice. This is made worse by the fact that Consultant A had previously been removed from his duties at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin in 2007. At some point, the HSE recommissioned Consultant A's services.

In the 13 years since the publication of the report to which I refer in 2009, successive Governments have promised to legislate and have failed to do so. The devastating consequences of this failure for parents and families should be obvious to us all. Last July, in response to Teachta McDonald in this House, the Taoiseach made three commitments to the families affected by these failures. The first was that the bereaved families affected by the scandal at Cork University Maternity Hospital would be given access to the report without further delay. That has not happened. The second was that the HSE audit would be published. The audit was delayed by six months and had to be forced out of the system by means of a freedom of information request. The third was that the Government would publish the human tissue Bill this autumn. That has not happened either.

I have three clear questions for the Tánaiste. Will he compel the HSE to give the families access to the report this week? They have been calling for this for years. They have been promised it time and again. We cannot continue to fail them. Who is responsible for the governance failures leading to Consultant A being rehired? Who was responsible for auditing his practice and what accountability will there be for the failure in that regard? Will the Government finally publish the human tissue Bill this month, without delay, in order to prevent incidents such as those to which I refer from happening again?

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