Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When did the Minister carry out an audit? He carried out an audit in 2024, two years later. Within weeks, the flags were going up. Within weeks, the parents knew. The parents have enough on their plate. Parents and families from right across this State were outside the Dáil in February. They told us about the pain and the hurt and about patients in my constituency who need these surgeries. The Minister allocated the money - fair play - but the money did not go where it was needed. He was told, begged and pleaded with over and again - I have the emails - and he did nothing, or if he did something, it was completely ineffective because two years later he still does not know where this money has gone. The problem is these parents warned him back in March of 2022 that this money would not be spent in this place. If we had a competent Minister for Health, he or she would go in and say, "You told me you needed €19 million. I gave you €19 million. Make sure that it is spent in the area." It is not acceptable that we are in this position today and that the Minister still does not know where that money went.

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