Maire Devine (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is little else to talk about today other than the cervical cancer scandal. What has happened is incredible. We cannot underestimate the fear that women all over this country and their families have been living with since the weekend, and which will continue into the future. The State Claims Agency is a Government agency with an embedded culture of dismissiveness. It is autocratic and its only intent is to demean women by putting the blame on them. A total of 17 people have died following the audit.

As Senator Conway asked, what is it about this country that, for generations since the formation of the State, it has been women who have been targeted, neglected and dismissed from society by patriarchical attitudes. When the HSE formed a panel yesterday, it had to apologise for the fact that every single member of the panel was male. Women's voices need to be on every patient policy group and steering group because we cannot trust the HSE or the Government.