Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Yes, and there is a commission of investigation examining it now.

The letter states: "I refer to your recent correspondence seeking an update on the current position regarding the Deloitte report." This is in relation to the payments to the Waterford charity that dealt with the abuse case. The letter continued: "I wish to advise that I will receive the Deloitte report today." The letter was dated 15 September and it continued:

I will need time to consider the report and I also intend seeking the consent of the Commission of Enquiry to share the report with the Committee. As soon as I have considered the report and provided the Commission of Enquiry consents to my sharing of it, I will submit the report to the Committee together with any observations I may have.

Here we go again. We got an absolute commitment previously from Tony O'Brien that we would get this report. We only became aware of it when it was mentioned in the High Court that the report existed and the cost to the charity, the funds it had lost out on, and the compensation payment in relation to dealing with that abuse case in the south east. We have been told time and again that we will get the report, that it is not finalised, that it is going between the various parties, that Deloitte is nearly finished, that the HSE is awaiting observations, and that we would get it as soon as possible. Now we have been told by Tony O'Brien that he will consider the matter. Here we go again. We have been promised the report in public and there is one thing that the Committee of Public Accounts will do. If we get a public commitment from a public official, it will be honoured or he or she will come here to explain why he or she has not honoured a public commitment. This committee will not have commitments given in public and the person walking out of the door thinking he or she can walk away from such commitments. It is as simple as that.