That was one empty pledge too many, Leo

LESS than 12 weeks ago, Leo Varadkar promised that none of the women caught up in the CervicalCheck cancer screening scandal would be dragged through the courts as they sought justice.

It is worth reminding ourselves of his exact words on RTÉ’s Six One News on May 11. The Taoiseach said: ‘What we propose to do is offer mediation in every case so that women can avoid having to go to court and the trauma of a court hearing.’

But he went even further. Speaking about cases where laboratories refused to engage in mediation, he insisted: ‘What we will do in this situation is that the State will settle and pursue the lab later. So essentially the State will be on the side of the plaintiff, on the side of the woman.’

That was a perfectly understandable human reaction to the desperate plight victims found themselves in. But it is now abundantly clear Mr Varadkar should never have made that statement.

The women affected by this scandal, some of them terminally ill, have enough on their plates, from an emotional and practical perspective. The last thing they needed was a commitment that simply couldn’t be delivered on.

Mr Varadkar has acknowledged that he should have been clearer when he made those remarks. But even yesterday’s clarification sounded mealy-mouthed.

That the CervicalCheck situation arose in the first place is an absolute disgrace. But it is also outrageous that women were led to believe compensation claims could all be resolved in a non-adversarial way.

Even without his background in medicine, the Taoiseach should have known, as an experienced politician, the process was never going to be that straightforward.