Tim Lombard (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for her response and her compassion regarding this incident. Yes, it really was a breach of trust. The lack of communication, or the breakdown in communication, needs to be looked at directly by the HSE. The communication lines were not appropriate, they did not work and they failed this family in particular. The review team needs to look at that when it meets. The meetings of 22 November and 24 November should be held both physically and online. Some of the families will want to attend online, and that needs to be accommodated. I hope the Minister of State will make sure that at some stage, sooner rather than later, senior members of the maternity services in Cork will meet these families.They are meeting a liaison officer at the moment. She is doing her best, but that is not appropriate. Senior consultants and senior staff in CUH have never spoken to these families. That is not the game. Responsibility needs to be taken at the very top. We must prioritise this legislation. It cannot be put on the long finger. Guidelines have previously been breached. This is not the first time it has happened; we have seen breaches in guidelines before. This legislation needs to be prioritised by our parties in government during the next session of sittings in the Dáil and the Seanad.