Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 April 2021
1787. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Health the latest date in which he communicated with a group (details supplied) in relation to the setting up and operation of the CervicalCheck tribunal; the nature and type of communication; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18973/21]
View answerI have had a significant level of engagement with the 221+ Patient Representative Group, working with them to progress issues they had raised in respect of the CervicalCheck Tribunal and CervicalCheck cases more generally. This engagement late last year included a number of meetings as well as detailed constructive correspondence on the issues raised. Significant progress was made through this engagement; however, it was not possible to resolve all of the issues raised by the group in the way that they wanted them to be addressed.
My most recent direct correspondence to the group regarding the Tribunal was in a letter of 28 November 2020, in which I notified the group that the Tribunal would be commencing its work the following week. In that letter I also acknowledged the Group’s position in respect of the Tribunal and indicated that I would be happy to meet with them to further discuss the issues raised.
I will continue to work with my Department to address the concerns the group have raised where possible and while there is no ongoing engagement with the group in respect of the Tribunal, engagement continues through other mechanisms such as the CervicalCheck Steering Committee, which has held three meetings this year, the most recent of which was on Wednesday 14 April.
