Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank everyone who contributed to this debate, as well as those who referred to the matter before this debate. As other colleagues have said, these are particularly harrowing allegations. It is not often that everyone in the House is in agreement on an issue, and it is sad we find ourselves in agreement on how shocking and disturbing are these allegations.

Every person who avails of our health services is entitled to the best and safest care, and even more so when that person is vulnerable. Instead, we know that our health services failed Grace and other children and young people who were placed with this foster family at a time when they most needed our care and protection.

I have been assured that Grace is now being fully cared for in full-time residential care by a voluntary service provider. The HSE chief officer and her team in the south-east will continue to work collaboratively with the service provider, Grace and her advocates, to ensure the highest quality of service and support continues to be provided to her.

I strongly believe it is in the public interest that we establish the facts surrounding the care of Grace and other vulnerable people who were placed in this foster home but, more importantly, we owe it to those involved and their families who entrusted the health services with the safety and well-being of their loved ones.

The work which I have commissioned from Mr. Conor Dignam SC has been already mentioned and additional resources have been approved to allow him to expedite his review, which I expect to be completed by the end of April. We need to be precise and focused on the questions that remain unanswered and the work that is under way by Mr. Dignam will greatly inform the drafting of the terms of reference for a commission of investigation. As I said previously, there must be some political input into the terms of reference. Mr. Dignam has had access to the Devine report and the Resilience Ireland report in completing his review and I assure the House that I intend to read both reports as soon as I receive them from the HSE. I expect that the reports may make difficult reading but they will greatly assist us in understanding the facts surrounding these shocking allegations. I hope that they will be published in the future as everyone involved in our health services should be aware of the potential harm that can occur to vulnerable people in our care.

As the Minister mentioned, in view of the seriousness of the issues raised and the need to establish the facts, the Government has today approved the establishment of a statutory commission of investigation and I welcome that decision. The commission will provide a statutory mechanism to get to the bottom of these allegations. I am confident that this is the best mechanism to achieve this. I hope that early in the life of the new Dáil, this House will approve the setting up of this statutory commission of investigation and that this will also be approved by colleagues in the Seanad. That would be a powerful symbol of how seriously this House takes this appalling matter. It is clear that there have been failures in protecting vulnerable people in our care. For a number of reasons, it has been difficult to establish the facts with certainty. This has been acknowledged and I am confident that through the commission of investigation, we can resolve this. While this is very much in the public interest, it is also very much in the interest of those vulnerable people who are directly affected and their families.

I reiterate what the Minister said. Listening to some, although not the majority, of the contributions, I have very serious worries that while we are protected, what is said in here could impact any outcomes outside the House. This is why I deeply appreciate the fact the majority of people who spoke were very careful and conscious that our words are being listened to, not just by the public, which has an interest, but by those who may use those contributions to protect themselves. This is hugely important.

I also congratulate the whistleblowers. I very much appreciate that sometimes it is not an easy task and involves making oneself more vulnerable within the system in which one works. I also appreciate the many good people, who are in the majority, who provide care to vulnerable people. I say to each and every one of these people that this is not a reflection on them but things did go wrong, there were lapses and we need to find out why and how they happened and how we can prevent them happening in the future. I thank all the contributors.

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