Cervical cancer tribunal and disclosures
Willie O'Dea asked when a tribunal would be established for cervical cancer victims and pressed for the mandatory disclosures Bill. The Taoiseach said Cabinet endorsed the Meenan report, approved a tribunal, and that statutory setup would take months, though non-statutory steps would continue meanwhile.
When will an inquiry be established to enable the victims of the cervical cancer controversy to have their cases heard and determined by a judge in private? Can the Taoiseach reassure the House that the mandatory disclosures Bill will be before the House early in 2019, so that doctors will no longer be able to withhold information from patients?
Comment on this
Cabinet yesterday endorsed the Meenan report and approved the establishment of a tribunal. The Minister for Health hopes to be able to appoint the judge who will chair that tribunal very soon. It seems that because primary legislation will be required to set up the tribunal it will take a number of months before it is actually established on a statutory basis and is able to operate. We will need the co-operation of the Houses to make that happen.
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It could operate on an ad hoc basis.
Comment on this
The Minister for Health is probably best placed to answer that, but we will do everything we can on a non-statutory basis while the statutory work is being done. The Attorney General informs me based on previous experience in establishing tribunals that it can take many months to get it done. I am concerned that this is the case.