THE MINISTER FOR Health has said that the CervicalCheck Tribunal will be established “without delay”, as two more judges were appointed. 

Stephen Donnelly announced this evening that Hon Ms Justice Ann Power, a judge on the Court of Appeal, will chair the tribunal.

Hon Mr Justice Tony O’Connor, a High Court judge, will also be a member of the tribunal, alongside the retired Court of Appeal judge Hon Mr Justice Brian McGovern, whose appointment had already been announced.

Donnelly said that the tribunal will “allow women to progress their cases in a sensitive manner”.

“I want to thank all three judges for taking on these roles and look forward to engaging with them,” he added. 

Donnelly said that the CervicalCheck Steering Committee will be reconvened “in the near future” once a chair is appointed. 

In 2018, the government announced that it would be establishing an independent statutory tribunal to deal with claims arising from the CervicalCheck scandal.

The establishment of the tribunal was one of the recommendations made by Justice Charles Meenan in a report into the appropriate response to the scandal. 

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When it was announced, the Department of Health said that the hearings would be heard in private and would provide an alternative system for dealing with cases arising from CervicalCheck. 

The tribunal was meant to begin by the end of March but was delayed because of the Covid-19 pandemic.