Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

My question is in a similar vein to that of Deputy Murphy. I was shocked, as everybody was, to read the news that came out yesterday regarding yet another failure of HSE management in the north-west region. Recent correspondence from HIQA expressed concerns regarding a residential disability centre for adults in Donegal, where a resident accessed child sexual exploitation material on three separate occasions in 2016, 2017 and 2021. The HIQA report states that the HSE has repeatedly "failed to demonstrate fitness" to safeguard residents with disabilities in its centres.

It is important to note that the only reason we know of this incident, and of HIQA correspondence, is due to a leak. This is completely unacceptable and shows the ultimate problem here. It was the same case with the Brandon report, which was another example of complete failure of HSE management. The only reason this report came to light was that the Minister of State at the Department of Health, Deputy Anne Rabbitte, and I continued to press the HSE regarding it. The fact that a Minister of State had to continuously press the HSE in the first place just to get a copy of the Brandon report is extremely concerning and I ask the Taoiseach to consider this. To date, the Brandon report has still not been published, despite the families’ wish to see the full report, and we are again relying on leaks for information. Something needs to change here. When discussing the Brandon report last year, I asked how we can be sure this will not happen again, how we can instil trust in HSE management and, in the case of failures occurring again, how we can ensure we are informed of them. Sadly, months later we are again facing a similar situation and, again, the only reason we know about it is through leaks. The Taoiseach needs to put people’s minds at ease. We have to know that this will not happen again and that if it does, at the very least, we have to know about it.

A pattern of failure seems to be emerging among HSE management. We need an investigation into HSE management in the community healthcare organisation, CHO, 1 area, but we also need an investigation into this community health organisation’s relationship nationally. That is a key part of this issue. There are serious concerns about how residential centres are currently being managed in Donegal, in addition to Cavan, Leitrim, Sligo and Monaghan, but I also have concerns regarding HSE management nationally and how the CHOs relate to national management. We also need to address problems with HIQA. I have concerns regarding its processes and I am wary of placing all the scrutiny on the HSE without recognising HIQA's role.

One way or another we urgently need an investigation into HSE management in CHO 1 and nationally. We need to know how management is being held accountable and how we can know that this will not happen again. Will the Taoiseachensure that necessary and timely investigations into HSE management take place, following the ongoing patterns of failure occurring in our residential centres?

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