Last year, the Saolta University Health Care Group undertook an external review of nine cases of haemorrhage where newborn babies suffered bleeding between their skulls and their scalps during their birth in 2022 in University Hospital Galway. Despite having had the report since last October, it remains unpublished. This is worrying because the Saolta group has been inconsistent in how it carries out external reviews of maternity problems in its hospitals. More alarming is the direct contradiction between the internal and external reviews concerning those nine babies. Additionally, the HSE has not given clear reasons for these differences. This situation shows that our health service is not being open and honest, as it should be, especially after the passage of the law last year on open disclosure mandating such transparency. This report must be published immediately and we need a fully independent and transparent review of this type of incident at University Hospital Galway.

I thank the Deputy for raising this extremely serious issue. The review of the neonatal subgaleal haemorrhages in 2022 was undertaken because the management team in University Hospital Galway maternity services observed through the clinical governance processes that there had been an increase in the incidence of this type of haemorrhage in newborn babies from previous years. While this increase was well within the reported range in the international literature, the management team in UHG decided to undertake an audit of the nine cases. The aim of the audit was to provide insights into trends, root causes and potential areas of improvement. I take on board what the Deputy has said. I will bring it back to the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, and I will ask him to respond to the Deputy in writing.