Leo finally intervenes after cancer pledge
LEO Varadkar has now intervened in the court case in which Ruth Morrissey and her husband Paul have had to give heartbreaking evidence of her terminal cervical cancer.
The Taoiseach has told the State Claims Agency to ask two labs accused of misreading her smears to resume mediation in the case.
The move comes as he faces increasing demands to keep his promise that women caught up in the CervicalCheck scandal would not have to face court.
And adding to the pressure on him, the woman whose own case exposed the scandal, Vicky Phelan, is to meet the Taoiseach on Wednesday to challenge him on that pledge. Mr Varadkar has come under fire after Ms Morrissey became the fourth woman with a terminal diagnosis to fight her case in court.
She and her husband are suing the HSE and US laboratories Quest Diagnostics and Medlab over two smear tests taken in 2009 and 2012. They say the tests were misread and, as a result, she was given false all-clear results.
A spokesperson for the Taoiseach told the Irish Daily Mail that he has now intervened, saying: ‘Yes, the Taoiseach’s officials did ask the Sate Claims Agency to approach the two labs and ask them to resume mediation.’
And Cian O’Carroll, solicitor for Ms Phelan, said she will meet Mr Varadkar on Wednesday when, it is understood, she will challenge him on ‘his promise that no women caught up in CervicalCheck screening scandal would have to go to court’. The Sunday Independent reported yesterday that Ms Phelan held off on the long-standing invitation to meet until it was needed, but she was angered by Ms Morrissey having to testify last week.
A Government spokesperson told the paper that ‘mediation is offered in every case’ and that the Taoiseach and Health Minister Simon Harris ‘have been very clear that they do not want to see any woman having to go to court’.
However, Mr O’Carroll, who also represents the Morrisseys, said there was only ‘sham mediation’.
He said: ‘Ruth and Paul believe the State showed no interest whatsoever in resolving their case by mediation prior to the media focus on their ordeal in court this week.’ And Stephen Teap, whose late wife Irene was affected by the scandal, told the Irish Mail on Sunday, that seeing Ruth ‘being dragged through court’ broke his heart.
He said: ‘Leo Varadkar said no woman or her family would have to go to court and it would all be settled with mediation, there’s no attempt in this case with Ruth.
‘No-one should have to go through that. It just breaks my heart.’
Mr O’Carroll told the MoS that ‘not a cent’ was offered during their four hours of talks. And Mr Teap also called on the Taoiseach to ‘step up and take control of this’.
The paper reported that the Taoiseach’s spokesman said they are providing a scheme of social care and health supports for women affected by the CervicalCheck scandal, and that the Government had set up the Scally Inquiry.