Motion Amendment

Motion TitleCervical Screening Scandal Inquiry - Amendment 2

Motion Amendment TextLeave out all after ‘Assembly; and insert: ‘recognises the importance of the public retaining confidence in our life-saving population-based cervical screening programme in Northern Ireland; further recognises the steps taken by the Department of Health and the Southern Health and Social Care Trust regarding the recall of women for cervical screening, but also acknowledges the Cervical Cytology Review has been a difficult and worrying experience for many; pays tribute to the Ladies with Letters campaigners who have fought hard for transparency in the issues that led to the underperformance of screeners and the recall of the slides of 17,500 women in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust area; welcomes the subsequent finding in the outcomes report that showed for the vast majority of the women included in the review, their original result did not change; further acknowledges that, for some patients, the review was too late and lives were affected by this failure; further welcomes the Minister of Health’s ongoing commitment to openness, accountability and reform; notes the various comprehensive and independent measures that are already underway to establish the facts and deliver improvements; believes that the immediate focus must be on supporting those women affected and further strengthening screening systems; and calls on the Minister of Health to shortly consider which of the various options available to him, including a possible full public inquiry, are best to uncover the full truth, establish accountability and ensure that such failures never arise again.’

Amendment Number2

Motion Amendment CategoryPrivate Members' Motion

Date Tabled to Business Office23/10/2025