Kieran O'Donnell (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the report of the scoping inquiry into the CervicalCheck screening programme. I compliment Dr. Scally on the report. The most important people in this are the women themselves. My main concern was to wait and see how the women who have been impacted upon felt about the report. I listened intently to my neighbour Vicky Phelan, to Stephen Teap and to others. They welcomed the report. That the report was leaked was reprehensible. That should not have happened. This is about women's lives and about how those lives have been impacted upon. I got to know Vicky Phelan at the start of the year. She is an extraordinary person. Ruth Morrissey is another neighbour of mine and another extraordinary lady. Both of them happen to live quite close to each other. When we consider the others who have also been affected by this directly and indirectly, people such as Stephen Teap and Lorraine Walsh, there is admiration for what they have come through. In the case of Vicky Phelan, this came about through a failure to disclose to people information they are entitled to. The key issue now is that this will never happen again. It is imperative that Dr. Scally stays on - and he has indicated that he will - because he has the trust of the women involved. It is important that we introduce a regime of HPV testing as quickly as possible. It is absolutely imperative that all of the report's recommendations are implemented. I welcome that the Minister is to meet Vicky Phelan, Stephen Teap and Lorraine Walsh shortly. It is imperative that this vital screening programme continues and is improved.