Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I even know the figure. The total package is approximately €300,000. When the budgetary Revised Estimates are looked at every year and one sees how much additional money the HSE gets to pay compensation, legal fees and stuff, it is really frustrating for families to be in that situation for so long. They have been very open and frank with me. They have given me full permission to use names and documents. I have raised it numerous times here and I cannot even get an acknowledgement as an answer for the poor family. I think it is absolutely disgraceful and it is not the only one.

The other issue I want to talk about is child poverty. It is 2024 and we are still stuck in child poverty. We know the knock-on affect of that with inappropriate housing. The ombudsman mentioned, and I have cases and am well aware of it, of bullying in schools and the Department or the boards not taking responsibility. It is shameful they have to come to the Ombudsman for Children to investigate it and get them to admit that they made a mistake. We all make mistakes, my God I am brilliant at it. I am absolutely amazing at making mistakes. But people who make mistakes should put up their hand. People do not make mistakes, mistakes make people who they are.

In the office of the ombudsman, and we have worked on different reports over the years, it seems to be the same pattern. Going back to what Dr. Muldoon said at the outset in regard to CAMHS, if the same thing keeps getting done, the same results will be achieved. As a committee, is there anything we can do to progress the ombudsman's work? It has to work both ways. We are not here to interrogate the witnesses. We are trying to get the information across on both sides and to do anything we can to make progress. While the regulation of CAMHS makes sense, it still has not been done. However, plenty of money will be found to compensate the families for the incompetence of not doing the right thing. That is very frustrating.

It is my passion and my background is in working with young people and giving them a chance. What I loved about it is that the ombudsman's office had its own youth advisory panel and were including the stakeholders. I love the quotes in the report where someone said the best bit in the whole beyond limits programme was getting to meet and spend time with new people and to make his speech about standing up for people with disabilities and his journey to independence. What a fabulous statement. But that shows what happens when people are given a chance. I think what is wrong in society here is that the top tier are always the ones who are dismissive and condescending. I have often given talks to, say, third-year students around mental health and stuff. I might have a big plan to have a great chat with them and all of a sudden I say one line and ask who would like to speak. A tsunami of hands then goes up because they all feel comfortable that we are all in the same boat. You end up crying when listening to their stories because they are the experts. They are the ones who are living these experiences.

As I said, I might email the ombudsman on that case once I talk to the family but I think that is all I have on it. It is crazy that we are talking about the Falling Behind report in 2024, especially with children's rights, families' rights, mental health, Travellers and transport. Transport is another issue. That happens absolutely ever year, probably from April onwards until right up to September when each of our offices is absolutely lambasted, whereas if one went to the constituency dashboard, one can nearly tell how many kids there are. The ombudsman is right. I know of buses last year that passed four schools. Two buses come from Cobh. One comes out of Cobh Cross, turns right, goes to Glounthaune and passes Carrigtwohill where there is a massive school campus. The other one goes to Midleton and passes Carrigtwohill but yet they could not get 33 students onto that bus in order to drop them in Carrigtwohill. It is very dysfunctional.

I will come back to the witness on that case but I thank the Ombudsman for Children for all the work they do. It is invaluable and it is invaluable to us as a committee to have it discussed and to try to make things better. I think all of us are here to make things better. I never thought about getting brownie points, there is no such thing as that. It is about doing the right thing now to build the rights of people in the future. I thank the Chair.