Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

In view of the HSE commissioning this report which has so much content, I am beginning to wonder about the independence of independent reports, although that is no reflection on the company that carried out the work. I have to say that.

It would seem to me, as a member of this committee, from the documentation that I have seen since I have been here,it is clear that not enough money was provided for the care of Grace. That is the opinion that I have formed. Separately, the High Court made a settlement and part of the settlement was to provide money for the care of Grace. Looking at it in a reasonable manner, not enough funding was provided. We then have a report in which the HSE is at pains, from what I have seen in the various emails, to point to other services it has funded and the moneys it has given out and to make comparisons. Does that mean there are Grace cases in other institutions that are comparable? It seems to me that this stands on its own because of the facts of the case. The service provider had to take over the case and provide additional services to her. It should be clear as to whether the HSE funded the service provider for that purpose. Did it recognise that this was a very special case that required full attention on a 24 hours a day basis? Was that recognised? I do not see that it was. I will be guided by the Chair as to where we go with all of this documentation. I have no concerns about Deloitte. However, I want to say on the record that I have serious concerns about the independence of a report that was commissioned by the HSE, which then appears to seek to determine the way the report is laid out.