Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Ms Dunnion for the presentation. It is, as Senator Freeman stated, scary, but it also would make one very angry. HIQA has a reputation that it can go in and potentially close down organisations that are not operating to standard, and yet we have a situation where 465 children have no assigned social worker and nothing can be done about it. I wonder where HIQA sees the accountability. Has HIQA advocated for a legal remit in that regard? Is that something it would welcome? Is it something we as a committee can try and look at?

In regard to the number of complaints, Ms Dunnion stated all HIQA can do is escalate them to Tusla. How many serious situations have been escalated to it? Of those, how many have been addressed or what happens once it is escalated?

Ms Dunnion stated that from 2014 HIQA was assessing private care. I wonder why it was only from 2014 and what was happening prior to that.