Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sitting back here looking at Ms Nugent answering all the questions. She is new, so my questions are therefore for Ms Hardiman. Where is the accountability for management’s failure of governance and procurement? Does Ms Hardiman believe she may need to rethink her position on this? This all happened on her watch. Considering what is said about this problem, parents are very annoyed when their children are let down. By God, the children in question were let down.

I have a few questions and I will fly through them because I want answers. Why did the clinical indication rates vary so drastically between Crumlin, Temple Street and Cappagh hospitals? What oversight existed regarding the individual consultant’s surgical decisions? Were any concerns raised by colleagues or management at the time? We have already spoken about whether parents were fully informed and whether there was informed consent.

What checks failed in the hospital procurement or clinical governance process for non-CE-certified springs to have been used? I come from a procurement background and would assume there was a process in place for ordering the relevant products. How did what occurred happen? I cannot get it out of my head. Was there any testing or risk assessment of the devices before implantation?

What role will external bodies like HIQA and the Medical Council play in investigating and enforcing accountability? Accountability is a matter I will come back to. Management needs to be accountable. I do not believe one person is to blame. I am not a medical person and do not like the idea of one person being used as a scapegoat; the rot usually happens from the top down. Why was the internal report not shared? I was reading notes that stated the report was not intended to be made public or published to ensure the staff felt safe participating. Secrets breed trouble and exactly what was going on, namely, poor governance and a toxic workplace. How could things go right in those circumstances? Children and their families have been so let down. I would like answers to the questions I have asked.