Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 9 May 2024

Committee on Public Petitions

Ombudsman for Children's Annual Report 2022: Office of the Ombudsman for Children

Photo of Pat BuckleyPat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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In the Revised Estimates for 2018 an additional €250 million was given to the HSE. This was not to improve services, if you know what I am saying. It was not as much last year; it was around €56 million. It just goes to show how money is not being spent properly when we have this document ready to go but we cannot get it done for a couple of hundred thousand euro. We speak about figures here but this is a minuscule amount of funding and the benefits of doing it would be absolutely priceless. It does not surprise me. As I said earlier, I have been to four different Ministers on one case and I am still like the child knowing a birthday card is coming in the post but not knowing how much is going to be in it. This is how frustrating it can be here. I certainly second what the Cathaoirleach said. If committees can put pressure on Ministers to assist everybody to do the right thing that is how we should work.