Catherine Ardagh (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I join in the expressions of sympathy to the family of the late Rory Kiely. He was a former Cathaoirleach of the Seanad and a long-standing Fianna Fáil Senator. Rory had a great association with and friends within the Fianna Fáil group. It is a very sad day for the Fianna Fáil Party and we would like to join the Cathaoirleach in passing on our condolences to his family.

I wish to raise the issue of the CervicalCheck scoping inquiry. I raised this issue yesterday and it is with regret that I raise it again today. It was a shock this morning to listen to Dr. Gabriel Scally on the radio. He complained that he had not received documents in the manner and format he would have liked. It means that Dr. Scally cannot search through the documents he has been furnished with. The Minister for Health, Deputy Harris, was also on the radio and he described as pathetic the format of the documents as presented to Dr. Scally. The Minister indicated that he would write to the HSE about it. Clearly, at this stage the scoping inquiry is being treated very much like a legally charged inquiry. Documents are being printed, scanned, reprinted and only then handed to Dr. Scally in a format one would generally see in very contentious litigation after a discovery order has been made. It is imperative that Dr. Scally has the documents he needs in a format that is searchable, electronic and that we know will work.The Department of Health is obfuscating the material to make it more difficult for Dr. Scally to decipher and use it. The Minister outlined today that he is going to write to the Department. Surely he is in charge of the Department of Health and was responsible for the serious incident team going into CervicalCheck and the Department. He should be able to get the information to Dr. Scally in a more practical and expedient fashion. At this stage it seems the Minister has a complete lack of control over the Department. There is pure chaos in terms of the documents supplied to Dr. Scally. I believe a commission of inquiry must be set up as soon as possible so that we can get to the truth of the matter and that all the information is laid out properly and not held back.

The third issue I wish to raise today relates to the cancellation of sailings by Irish Ferries. Due to delays in the building of the new WB Yeatsvessel Irish Ferries has had to cancel many sailings. That has left consumers, including families with young children, in serious limbo in terms of their holiday arrangements. Yesterday, phone lines were not answered and there is a serious lack of clarity on the compensation that will be offered to the families affected. The situation has caused considerable inconvenience with many families having to make new arrangements at significant expense. I call on the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport to look into this matter without delay.