Legislation on CervicalCheck Tribunal must be New Year priority
Reacting to the Minister for Health’s announcement that there will be a statutory tribunal into claims from CervicalCheck, Labour Party Health spokesperson Alan Kelly TD has said that legislation around this needs to be enacted as soon as possible in the new year.
Deputy Kelly said:
“Minister Harris needs to ensure that the legislation that is needed for the smooth running of this tribunal is brought in when the Dáil resumes in early January.
“I welcome the announcement made today and the appointment of Ms Justice Mary Irvine as Chair of the Tribunal.
“While the ex-gratia compensation scheme is welcome, I don’t believe it does enough to take into account for the impact and hurt caused by the CervicalCheck scandal.
“This is a far cry from when the Taoiseach promised live on the Six One News that no woman would have to court and the Taoiseach knows deep down he should have never made a commitment like that that he couldn’t keep.
“Most importantly, we need to look at the long term health needs and requirements of these women. We need to learn the lessons of the Hep C scandal and ensure a proper plan is in place for victims of the CervicalCheck scandal and their future healthcare.”