James Reilly (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill and all the work the Minister and his Department have done to get us to this point. It is fitting that this is the last Bill to be discussed this session and that a sitting was held to ensure that happened. I do not want to allow the opportunity to pass without emphasising something that all of the women affected by this issue have emphasised. I commend them on their courage in seeking justice not only for themselves, but for others. We must learn from the mistakes we have made. To err is to be human, and that will always be the case, but if we learn from the mistakes we make we can make great strides. I emphasise, as have these women, the importance of screening. Many lives have been saved, and will continue to be saved, not only by this screening programme, but by other screening programmes within the health service. I thank the Minister, who has put so much work into this and who has done so much to bring it where it is today.