Deep concern over the decision of the Director of Public Prosecutions not to initiate prosecutions in connection with the hepatitis C controversy was voiced by several members.
Mr Brendan Ryan (Ind) demanded the House debate the fact that again it appeared in this country that a person had to be poor to be prosecuted or to go to jail, and that again people in powerful positions were rewarded for their failures.
The Minister for Justice should come in to explain what he proposed to do, by legislation or by administrative and Garda practice, to ensure that in future people in positions of responsibility who failed to discharge their duties were held accountable to the law. Mr Ryan complained about what he termed a very inadequate response to a serious health crisis for a huge number of people in Irish society.
Ms Mairin Quill (PD) also called on the Minister to explain what steps the Government proposed to take to resolve the legal difficulties the DPP "claims to have encountered in relation to the hepatitis C scandal".
It was not acceptable in terms of natural justice that prosecutions would not follow, she said. There was a huge onus on the Government to resolve these difficulties, one way or the other. If current legislation was not sufficient to enable the DPP to proceed - "and I am unclear about that myself" - then new legislation should be put in place.
Mr Pat Gallagher (Lab) said there was widespread anger and incomprehension inside and outside the House, particularly among women, at the DPP's decision that he was unable under current legislation to initiate prosecutions. The Government should introduce the necessary reforms to the criminal justice legislation to allow cases of criminal and culpable negligence to be prosecuted.
The Seanad leader, Mr Donie Cassidy, said he had no objection to having the Minister discuss the matter. But he would have to leave it for another time, as Mr O'Donoghue had recently been bereaved.