Maternity services in Cavan General Hospital were being monitored, Taoiseach Enda Kenny told the Dáil.

He said the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa) had started a focused programme for the monitoring of compliance against the national standards for safer and better health care across maternity services nationally.

“That programme includes the maternity services at Cavan hospital,’’ he added.

He said the work involved would be completed by the end of the year.

Mr Kenny was replying in the Dáil to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams on the death of a baby in the Cavan hospital.

He said he did not have the medical details surrounding the tragedy.

The investigation should bring what happened to light very quickly, he added.

Four babies

The Taoiseach said four babies had died in the hospital over the past number of years and, clearly, it was a very traumatic situation.

He understood that former minister for health Dr James Reilly had written to Hiqa in May last year requesting the authority to prioritise the monitoring of the maternity unit.

Hiqa, he added, had subsequently sought a detailed report and this was provided by the HSE.