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

Before I let Deputy McGrath go next, I want to say that this committee is very non-political, which is something we are very proud of. This is your "last-chance-dot-com" committee and everybody is entitled to have their say. I am very proud to say that with all the work of the members, the secretariat and researchers, it is one of the committees that gets results, sometimes very quickly. A lot of committees are geared whereby they are thought of as being talking shops but this one gets results. I am delighted the witnesses came in here today to raise these concerns because, as I said, this is the forum for it. Before I let in Deputy McGrath, I will ask one question. I was taken aback by the opening statement when it was said that the birth mothers are met by the invisible iron fist of Tusla. That is an immediate red flag. It was also stated that Tusla social workers notified management about failures to comply with the national standards for children in foster care. Being aware that we are in public session but that there is a need for a level of bluntness here, could the witnesses give a blunt explanation on what is meant by an "iron fist"? Is it dismissive? Is it a case of it stating "it is not your job or any of your business, go away" or is it all of that?