The Labour Party says legislation allowing a tribunal relating to the CervicalCheck scandal to take place needs to be brought forward as soon as possible.

Health Minister Simon Harris announced the creation of a tribunal on Wednesday to deal with claims from women who were misdiagnosed.

Preparatory work will begin as soon as possible, ahead of its full establishment later in 2019.

It will be chaired by Ms Justice Mary Irvine and hearings will be in private - with officials noting it will be "less adversarial" than the claims being heard in court.

Labour Party health spokesperson Alan Kelly has welcomed the news, but he has a number of concerns.

He says: "Minister Harris needs to ensure that the legislation that is needed for the smooth running of this tribunal is brought in when the Dáil resumes in early January.

"I welcome the announcement made... and the appointment of Ms Justice Mary Irvine as chair of the tribunal.

"While the ex-gratia compensation scheme is welcome, I don't believe it does enough to take into account for the impact and hurt caused by the CervicalCheck scandal."

Mr Kelly claims this is "a far cry" from when the Taoiseach promised that no woman would have to court.

"The Taoiseach knows deep down he should have never made a commitment like that that he couldn't keep.

"Most importantly, we need to look at the long term health needs and requirements of these women.

"We need to learn the lessons of the Hep C scandal and ensure a proper plan is in place for victims of the CervicalCheck scandal and their future healthcare".