HSE delayed issuing vital cervical reports
THE HSE has come under fire for the six-week delay in providing ‘unredacted and searchable’ documents to the CervicalCheck inquiry.
Following questions from the Irish Mail on Sunday, health chiefs confirmed that they had used legal powers to allow the release – refusing to say why they did not do so weeks earlier. The HSE has previously been criticised by the head of the inquiry, Dr Gabriel Scally, for providing printouts of documents that existed in electronic format. The HSE submitted redacted and nonsearchable documentation on May 24 and June 7. It confirmed that, prior to issuing ‘unredacted and searchable’ documents, it sought a ministerial direction from Simon Harris under the 2004 Health Act. A spokesman for the Health Minister said last night: ‘The HSE wrote to the Minister on June 26 proposing that the Minister issue a direction. He issued the direction as soon as he received the request.’ The HSE refused to explain why it had not made this request sooner.
Vicky Phelan, the mother of two credited with exposing the cervical cancer scandal, criticised the delay. ‘If the HSE knew it could use this power, why didn’t it seek permission sooner? The six-week delay means we are no nearer to getting answers.’