Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 16 May 2018

Public Accounts Committee

Management of Legal Costs and Policy on Open Disclosure (Resumed)
Implications of CervicalCheck Revelations (Resumed)
2016 Financial Statements of the State Claims Agency (Resumed)
2016 Financial Statements of the HSE (Resumed)

5:00 pm

Photo of Shane CassellsShane Cassells (Meath West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

First, I thank Vicky and Stephen for being here this evening. On a sunny evening such as this, I am sure that, as young parents, they would prefer to be playing with Amelia and Darragh or Oscar and Noah rather than be in a committee room in the bowels of Leinster House discussing this subject. We thank them for making the time available to give their accounts. Stephen said he wondered what Oscar and Noah would think ten years from now when they look back on this and on what their Dad did today. They will be very proud of what their brave Dad has done in standing up and talking for their Mum in Leinster House.

Officialdom has been given a fair crack of the whip in these committee rooms, week in and week out, but I am not sure if people listening are any wiser. The impact of its decisions, or lack of decisions, is a personal human story that is manifest in the stories of Vicky and Stephen, on behalf of Irene. Vicky spoke about the appalling breach of trust - on the day of her court case - on the steps of the High Court. As she has monitored proceedings over the past couple of weeks, has she seen anything that shows a willingness to change on the part of the people who are coming to this committee to answer questions or, as Stephen said, is the protect and deny culture still thriving even up to this point? The exiting director general of the HSE at the committee last week, and even after he was gone, was like a dying wasp with a sting in his tail.

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