David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I have to say, I find that answer unsatisfactory. Sometimes when I hear responses to parliamentary questions, I have the view the Government does not understand the magnitude of the crisis. I already have that view of the HSE. Moreover, the HSE has broken the law. My job is to hold the Government to account and the Government has to hold the HSE to account, and the Minister for Health, when responding to this issue on Tuesday evening, made the same point.

The Minister of State stated that not submitting these section 13 reports has not impacted on the ability of the HSE to plan. How can that be the case? If it is the case, that means the HSE had the information all along and simply decided it would break the law and would not give the information to the Minister. Section 13 reports, as set out in the Act, relate to the aggregate needs of all children who have had assessments of need where health and education needs have been identified. The logic of the reports is that they go to the Minister, set out the gaps in staffing and allow the Government to respond and fill those gaps. I do not understand how the Minister of State can suggest the Department has all the information, yet the HSE has not provided it with the statutory reports it is legally obliged to provide.

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