Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I honestly do not know what to say and whose word can be trusted in this saga anymore - the Minister, the former chair, the DG, the Minister's officials and advisers, the former Secretary General of the Department or the string of characters that have now disappeared off into the sunset with a full wallet. The State broadcaster, which is on its knees, is playing Monopoly money with public funds while at the same time community radio stations throughout Ireland, including Raidio Corca Baiscinn in Kilkee in my constituency, struggle to keep themselves on air. It is an absolute disgrace and a failure through and through.

Can the Government get a handle on this saga? While the national focus has been on this pathetic episode, the HSE has stopped answering parliamentary questions and representations for four months; the CEO of UL Hospitals Group has disappeared and been replaced without any question from this House, the same hospital has put children in the grave due to mismanagement, 28,000 farmers are waiting for ACRES payments, and there are never-ending waiting lists for CAMHS, early intervention services, CDNTs, assessments of need, spinal surgeries, driver tests, dentist and GP appointments. The list goes on.

Since the summer we have had countless hours of debate in this House about RTÉ burning money and here we are again today with yet more new information. What handle do the Minister and her officials actually have on this crisis? From where I am standing, all that has been done is that the chair has been sacked on live television. How much is too much? How far is too far? I am genuinely at a loss for words at this point. This fiasco is pathetic and disgraceful.

Last week we had the revelation from the Minister for Health in respect of the €19 million for scoliosis treatment and the scandal of the money not being spent or used in the way it was supposed to be. Is that theme going to continue? The parallels and similarities on the issues seem quite apparent.

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