Jerry Buttimer (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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One could not but be aghast at the testimony they gave us. As Chairman of the committee, someone who is fair and balanced, as Mr. O'Brien will be aware, what upset me, apart from the stories of the families, was that two organisations of the State - I said this to Mr. O'Brien at last Thursday's meeting - were fighting in public about an issue that was about the parents and their children who had died and their families, in particular. It should not have been in the public domain. Second, why are we worrying about reserved and non-reserved functions when the reality is that patient safety is of paramount importance to all of us? I appreciate that Mr. O'Brien has a job to do, as I do. What jumps out at me in HIQA's report is that it is stated in chapter 3, on page 5, that the safety culture was missing.