Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

There is no question of anybody querying the necessity of due process but let us cut to the chase on this. People who have had the tragedy and trauma of a death by suicide in their family or in their close circle or community or people who have had suicidal thoughts themselves and who deal with situations of utter despair and rely on agencies such as Console as literally a lifeline for them have to know that they are properly governed and that their bona fides are sound. Anything less than that is not acceptable. The taxpayer who funds, in large measure, agencies such as this, of which there are thousands, need to know that taxpayers' money is not being used for Ralph Lauren, Rugby World Cup tickets, fancy cars or big consultancy fees. Certainly those who fund-raise need that reassurance too.

I ask the Minister not to be sure or not to speculate. I want him today, on behalf of the Government, to tell the HSE to provide that documentation to the Committee of Public Accounts and to make itself available next week because it is only through that process that we can establish if the HSE was vigilant or if the State again was asleep at the wheel while a scandal like this in a charitable organisation unfolded.

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