Mary Moran (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome yesterday's announcement by the Minister for Health, Deputy James Reilly, to the effect that applications are being invited from the 35 or so women who were excluded from the original redress scheme relating to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. Since becoming a Member of the Seanad I have met many of these ladies and campaigned to have the redress scheme extended to them. Many of them were excluded from the original scheme simply because they were over the age of 40 years. The individuals in question suffered unnecessary hysterectomies or were obliged to undergo the unwanted removal of one or both ovaries. They then suffered further when they were excluded from the original redress scheme on age grounds. The programme for Government contains a commitment to the effect that this matter will be addressed and I am delighted that it began to be addressed yesterday.

Will the Leader ensure the Minister for Health will announce in the next couple of weeks or, even better, days the appointment of a judge in order that the Walsh report on the survivors of symphysiotomy might be dealt with? I understand the report will not be published until that appointment is announced.

I thank the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, and commend him for announcing yesterday that he was going to invite education partners to engage with officials of his Department on decisions relating to school uniforms. As a mother, a former teacher, a member of the Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection and my party's spokesperson on education in the Seanad, I deal with the matter of the cost of school uniforms on a daily basis. Parents sometimes find the cost of uniforms to be way beyond their reach.

It is an issue I have campaigned on for the past few years because parents have reported to me that schools demand that uniforms be bought in certain shops and must have certain labels. That can be distressing, particularly when virtually the same uniform can be bought in another shop at half the price, so the idea that this will be put out to parents is extremely important because parents should have a greater say in the uniforms for their children.