Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

We do not have time to go into the range of issues surrounding this case but it is a fact that more than one vulnerable adult was left in a situation where they were appallingly abused and exploited because of the mishandling of the situation by the HSE. I am very pleased that the Ministers have decided to have a commission of investigation. From the very beginning we believed that two things were necessary: first, that those responsible for this injustice would be held to account; and, second, that the issues would be publicly and independently aired. That is an absolute necessity given the litany of inquiries which have taken place on the issue, which did not deliver anything. Deputy Wallace is correct. Rather than trying to address matters, the position adopted by the HSE, which is still in evidence today, was to shore up, lawyer-up and cover up and be incredibly economical with the truth. That is what it smacks of to me.

Grace remaining in the foster home for 13 years after the initial allegations of abuse were investigated is horrifically unique. It is a fact that the information was in the hands of the HSE. In 1996 a decision was made by the social workers on the ground to remove that young woman. That is a fact which is backed up. We know that subsequently the foster father contacted the then Minister for Health, Deputy Noonan, and petitioned to have what he called his "beloved daughter" kept with the family. We do not know what happened after that. The Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, informed us that the Minister for Health at that time, Deputy Noonan, and Minister of State, were not in any way responsible for that situation but the fact is that a documented case conference decision to remove that young woman from the foster home before August was subsequently reversed in October 1996 and the young woman, Grace, remained there up until 2009. People need to know who made that decision and who will pay the price for it.

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