Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has repeated the apology he made to those affected by the CervicalCheck scandal as the Government remembered Vicky Phelan.
The Dáil opened on Tuesday with expressions of sympathy for Ms Phelan following her death on Monday morning. She is survived by her husband Jim and her children Amelia and Darragh.
As she opened the tributes, Leas Ceann Comhairle Catherine Connolly reminded the politicians that the CervicalCheck campaigner did not want tributes or “false promises”. Instead, she said, Ms Phelan wanted action.
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During his contribution, Mr Varadkar repeated the State apology that he made to those affected by the CervicalCheck Scandal in October 2019 when he was Taoiseach.
“I just want to restate the apology that I made on behalf of all of us as Taoiseach to the women and their loved ones who were hurt by the failures in how Cervical Scandal and how cervical screening was operated in Ireland,” he said.
“When preparing for that apology, I met with many of the families who had their lives turned upside down.
“I know for those who campaigned and travelled this journey with Vicky, particularly the 221 patient support group, her loss is going to be more painfully felt than we can ever imagine.
“I know they will continue to stand up for the women of Ireland and we must continue to listen”.
Mr Varadkar said that he had met Ms Phelan on a number of occasions and she was “probably one of the most impressive people that I've ever met.”
“Without Vicky, the CervicalCheck non-disclosure debacle would never have come to light,” he continued.
“Thanks to her advocacy, we can start to build a better culture and our health service, one that treats patients with respect, gives them all of the information about them that is available and always tells the truth.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin acknowledged that Ms Phelan did not want speeches made about her and she “wanted action”.
He acknowledged that the system had “failed her and so many other women”.
Mr Martin also vowed that the Patient Safety Information Bill, which will ensure that patients receive information about themselves, will be passed before the Dáil rises for the Christmas break on December 17.
Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin described Ms Phelan as a “tireless fighter for women”.
“The mother of two's refusal to sign a confidentiality clause in her court action over misread smear tests ultimately exposed what was a system failure of CervicalCheck,” she said.
“Vicky’s battle took a huge personal toll. But that was borne with a steadfast and unwavering commitment to the truth.
“In finding that truth, Vicky has done a great service to all women in this country.
“I don't think it is possible yet to fully grasp the scale of her contribution to our society.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said that Ms Phelan’s life had been “stolen by profound failures of the State, of Government and of the HSE”.
The Taoiseach later told the Dáil that it is envisaged that a national screening laboratory will open by the end of the year.
At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath said that he was “not a fan” of non-disclosure agreements and he believes that when legislation is reformed, “the default position should be that [non-disclosure agreements] should not be applied by Government or arms of Government”.
Mr Martin, meanwhile, said that the Government will continue to examine the possibility of introducing the Dying With Dignity Bill as per Ms Phelan’s wish, but insisted that it was a complex issue and that people had different views on it.
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