Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Will there be a follow-up in terms of the meeting? The Minister can answer but I do not wish to get involved in the issues.

The fundamental issue is that we have an investigating commission with a defined timeline. Previous commissions of inquiry were used as a means to run the clock down. It is important that we have a public hearing but it must be linked to a controlled mechanism. How long does the Minister anticipate the public inquiry will take in terms of the commission of inquiry overall? How long will it take to produce the HIQA report?

Had the McCabes not lodged a freedom of information request this matter would never have come to light. That is a scary proposition. We must have systems that are fit for purpose.

I welcome the fact that the Minister has come before the Seanad and I look forward to her contributions. First and foremost, this matter is about the McCabe family and other families. I want to know whether what we are talking about is an isolated incident. How did such a cut and paste error take place in the first place? We must ask hard questions. How did it happen? In my experience, people rarely act alone.